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Business of Dentistry

Dr. Russell Kirk is a private practice oral surgeon who is on a mission to help dentists succeed in the business and clinical aspects of practice ownership. On the podcast he shares experiences from his own practice. He also interviews influencers in the profession to get additional insights. His discussions focus on fixing broken business systems in dental offices, reducing overhead while maximizing profit, recognizing burnout and battling against it, building healthy teams, creating positive customer experiences, improving self awareness and mindset for dentists (in life and practice), and creating successful marketing plans. The Business of Dentistry features practical strategies for dentists interested in improving and growing their businesses.
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Now displaying: October, 2019
Oct 29, 2019

This week I am joined by a much-anticipated guest on the show. I welcome Dr. Bryan Stimmler. We share not only a love of dentistry but also a passion for the practice of the martial art Jiu-Jitsu. There are some wonderful similarities between practicing Jiu-Jitsu and living life… and we’ll discuss those in this episode.

As a dental student, have you stressed out over grades and focused on just learning a procedure to be able to move along to the next class? Bryan and I discuss education and our common belief that we need to take a different approach to education. There should be more of an emphasis on looking at what you are doing in class as preparing you for the work you will be doing in life and not just focusing on the pass/fail grade. Honing and mastering our skills is where our focus should be because we practice on human beings who need our expertise. We sometimes only have one opportunity to do a procedure for someone, and we need to get it right. 

Speaking of education, many dental practices face common issues when they consider what the biggest problems facing their practice are. One recurring issue is the importance of training our teams. After all, nobody is a mind reader, so we have to be realistic with our approach to our staff members. In this episode, we discuss the fact that our teams need to have the education, training and resources to do their jobs properly and handle their days with a better mental state while at the office. 

This episode of The Business of Dentistry will not only provide you with some insight on ways to improve your mindfulness and manage your practice but also leave you with a challenge. So, listen to this episode, and let us know your thoughts as we try to put together a new event for you!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • The importance of education and realizing that you are learning the work you will be doing in real life 
  • The benefits of taking some time to back down from work and make new connections with people
  • Bryan’s experience with going “off the grid” for a few weeks without technology and the positive effects it had on him
  • Many types of success are out there - the need to look at what is important to you
  • It’s difficult for most people to articulate why they want to do things
  • The level of mindfulness that is learned through Jiu-Jitsu
  • Skills to introduce to your team to get them to a better mental state at the office - the training and then the resources that are needed
  • The biggest problems facing some dentists at their offices

 

Connect with Dr. Bryan Stimmler:
NorthBrooklynDentalCare.com

The Better Dentistry Podcast

thebetterdentistry@gmail.com

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/thebetterdentistrypodcast/

 

Connect with Russell:

Dr. Russell Kirk

Podcast

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/businessofdentistrypodcast/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/businessofdentistry/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/businessdentist 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-of-dentistry/

 

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

Oct 22, 2019

This week I am taking a break from interview episodes and instead, I am flying solo. I wanted to talk about some lessons I recently learned while being a spectator at my son’s baseball game. Yes, baseball. You may be thinking, well, baseball to dentistry, that’s kind of a stretch. On the surface it seems like it. 

When it comes to both professions, we have to learn to filter out a lot of the noise (from spectators, supervisors, or team players), differentiate between useful and non-useful information, and my favorite parallel, learn to seek out someone in the field to help guide and mentor us. And when it comes to mentoring, how do you know who to choose? How do you evaluate potential mentors? In this episode, I touch on all of these topics and more. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • Differentiating between useful and non-useful information
  • Things to consider when evaluating and choosing a potential mentor
  • Why a mentor’s background and achievements are important
  • A thought about communication styles
  • How to ask someone to be your mentor and managing your expectations

Connect with Russell:

Dr. Russell Kirk

Podcast

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/businessofdentistrypodcast/

IG - https://www.instagram.com/businessofdentistry/ 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/businessdentist 

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/business-of-dentistry/

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

Oct 15, 2019

Are you tired of taking time away from work and family to attend conferences? Are you looking for an easier way to learn a new skill? This week I welcome Blake McClellan to the show to discuss his software, Implant Compare. This is a new method of dental education, live streaming surgeries, lectures, and courses to provide students and other viewers with a new perspective for their continued education.

With so much technology to leverage in today’s world, this online platform provides a way for educators to present their information to students - and nobody has to travel. For example, a doctor can live stream a procedure on their own channel, one that is similar to a YouTube channel, and expose their students to a real case...one that may not be perfect. By seeing the real challenges of a case, students learn from the best perspective on how to adapt to a situation and resolve the issue.

Blake emphasizes the need for community as we share our information. This platform offers just that. It is a way to reach out and be heard by the people who want and need to hear your message. This does not cater to a particular product on the market, so it is unbiased instructional programming aimed at educating others from an incredible perspective that is often better than if you were there in person. 

Listen to this episode of The Business of Dentistry to hear about how you can benefit from Implant Compare’s platform. Whether you are an educator or a student, you will see the incredible value being offered through this platform.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • About streamlining education that is available to all
  • How the Implant Compare platform works
  • The value in live streaming so students can learn from real cases and their inherent challenges
  • The benefits of teaching what you care about vs. promoting a particular product
  • Different types of content are being streamed in addition to those in the dental industry
  • The importance of having a community around educational methods
  • Stepping outside your normal zone helps you to discover new methods and outside talent who can help your business process
  • Phenomenal content is available on social media, so take advantage of it

Resources from this episode:
ImplantCompare
All In Podcast
Blake McClellan

 

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com

Oct 8, 2019

Is your inventory management causing you some issues? Are you looking for a better tool to manage all of the “stuff” in your practice? This week on The Business of Dentistry I welcome Dr. Paul Bhatti. He has created an inventory management software titled “Sowingo” which is changing the way dental offices are managing their inventory. 

Sowingo provides the clinical team with a way to organize and streamline their process for tracking inventory and open up time for other purposes. Lost inventory is lost money. When we consider how much is wasted in our offices due to expiration dates, the costs can be staggering. In fact, millions of dollars worth of products are lost each year. And we also lose money as staff members spend their time tracking inventory by hand when they could be using their talents elsewhere in the office, perhaps helping to increase revenue. This software tracks general inventory, medications, and implants and has modules to track things such as certifications and safety data sheets as well. And, the software continues to expand its capabilities due to the feedback from clients.

Are you ready to change the way your practice is managing inventory? If you’d like to consider a transparent, cost-effective way to cut down on lost inventory and get organized, listen to this episode of The Business of Dentistry. This software is solving problems so we can become more productive in our practices as we work to provide the best care for our patients.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

  • About the Sowingo inventory management system that can bring some transparency and clarity to your practice and serve as a tool for your clinical staff to use
  • The core areas of general inventory, medications, and implants that are tracked
  • The other modules that help you manage your practice
  • This software is developed by a dental professional who understands the needs within the practice
  • Scanning software allows staff to easily remove products from the inventory as they are used, allowing the system to notify you when items need to be reordered so shortages can be avoided
  • How to schedule a demo of Sowingo to see the value it can bring to your practice

Resources from this episode:
Sowingo website: https://www.sowingo.com/

Dr. Paul Bhatti: https://www.parkviewsurgery.ca/meet-us/dr-paul-bhatti/

 

***

EPISODE CREDITS:

If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment.

He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world.

Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

Oct 1, 2019

Burnout is alive and well in our profession. Studies show that 7%, and as high 21% of dentists struggle with the symptoms of practice burnout.          

These dentists feel drained. They complain of chronic tiredness.  They suffer from mental fatigue. They deal with frazzled emotions. They start to see patients as "procedures" rather than people. Cynicism reigns their life.         

It is common for these colleagues to seek isolation. At first, they turn away from their team and patients. This can expand to friends and family.  They suffer in silence. They can drift into substance abuse as a means to cope.      

Adding to these problems, they start to blame themselves.  They devalue their self worth and feel a lack of personal achievement.  They feel as if they offer no value to others. Every time they hear the phrase, "no offense, I hate dentists,"  it reinforces this belief.        

This downward spiral starts to take its toll.  It starts with the dentist. But begins to impact the dental practice.  Lost patients, lost team members, and falling revenues add to the stress. Burnout's tentacles start to reach into all aspects of the dentist;s life.  This starts a move on a spectrum from general stress to burnout. Burnout leads to depression. A path on one wants to be on.         

Does any of this sound familiar? I hope not. But there is a chance some of the above statements describe you.    

This begs the question.  How do I know if I'm suffering from burnout?  No simple answer exists. Burnout has a multitude of symptoms.  Dentists have varying degrees in which they experience each of them. So, with no simple solutions, what is a good starting point?  We say you should start with a personal wellness assessment. One designed for dental professionals.      

In this type of  self assessment you will be able to gauge your risk for burnout.  The results of your assessment will give you information to make future decisions.  Some of us don't need to do anything because we have a low risk. Others may need to make some self directed adjustments or seek outside help.      

To get you started we have connected with Mind Garden to offer you a limited (100), no cost, wellness survey.  This will help you better understand if you are trending towards, or in the throws of burnout.      

You can get this limited offer by clicking on the link below.  

Get Your Free Personal Dental Burnout Assessment

Your first name and a good email address will get you the link to an anonymous wellness assessment . The actual assessment gathers no personal information.   At its completion you will have a private report provided to you. You may review the report at the end of the assessment or download it to review at a later date.   

Take the first step to beat dental burnout. 

Click below to take the free dental professional wellness assessment now. 

Get Your Free Personal Dental Burnout Assessment

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