To Be a Top Cosmetic Dentist Requires Not Only Great Skills, but Listening to the Patient

I had no plans to become a dentist when I was young. In fact, I hated dentists because I had dental anxiety, like most people, and no money to pay for treatment. I wanted to be a medical physician instead and never even considered dentistry.

Very young, I earned a B.S. in biology and graduated Magna Cum Laude on my way to being a future doctor. However, my life took off in a completely new direction after graduation. I spent the next decade making a living as a professional D.J. and traveling all over the U.S.! 

As I got older, I thought I should find a profession where my love of biology and medicine would be helpful. I loved solving puzzles and began to think of dentistry as a way to achieve my goals. I applied to the Medical College of Georgia, College of Dental Medicine, at Augusta, received an academic scholarship, and ultimately graduated in 2014.

Alas, the first practice I joined as an associate was primarily focused on the bottom line rather than the needs of the patients. We all have to manage the business side of dentistry, but when I started my practice iHeart Dental in Rincon, Ga., in 2019, I made sure that each of my associates, staff, and interns shared my dedication to making a genuinely positive difference in our patient’s lives by delivering personalized and passionate care.

We offer not only the full range of services of a traditional dental practice but emphasize full mouth reconstruction and cosmetic dentistry. Along with being a member of the American Dental Association, I am now a member of the American Academy of Facial Esthetics.

I have benefited enormously from my relationships with colleagues from dental school and work closely with other dentists and specialists on the most challenging cases, including full-mouth reconstructions, to create beautiful results. Even the most experienced and skilled restorative dentists should know when they need the help of specialists.

Modern Dental Laboratory USA plays a key role in delivering the results our most demanding cosmetic dental patients expect. They are a full-service lab that delivers great results. The best labs have someone who oversees quality control to ensure every detail is perfect and Modern Dental is reliably consistent. They are always my first choice when I have a high-end esthetic case. They convinced me to start using a type of Modern Dental zirconia crown that combines the strength of zirconia and the transparency of lithium. 

Our amazing dental team and great partnerships have made us the choice for complex cosmetic and reconstruction cases not only in the entire Southeast but from as far away as New York and California. 

But don’t expect that the right patients will come to you just because you have great lab and technical skills. Marketing and branding are vital to building a great practice. When I decided to focus on cosmetic dentistry, I hired a marketing agency to do search engine optimization for our website to attract the demographic most interested in becoming our patients. We also post humorous videos and have billboards throughout the region to keep things fun and informative.

Succeeding by Prioritizing Thorough Communication

Every case is customized based on the patient’s individual needs and the concerns they express during consultation. Once I know the chief complaint and see the x-rays and photos, I can usually devise a treatment plan and present them to the patient on a 42” T.V. in every room so they can see the details. 

I document everything in writing and with photos and have consent forms for each aspect of the smile design or reconstruction. 

My new patients often say, “I’ve never had such thorough discussions about what I wanted and what I should have.”

I don’t oversell; I educate patients and plant the seeds. If they decide to go elsewhere, that’s okay as long as they are in good hands. I never say anything bad about another dental practice because every mouth and situation differs. Patients have to be accountable for their own mouths for progress to happen.

With dentistry, not only do things have to look good, but it has to fit and feel good, function well, and last a long time. Our jaw muscles put a lot of pressure on teeth which can wear them down over time. Also, the mouth can be challenging because the environment in our mouths changes throughout the day. Depending on the situation, it can go from wet to extremely dry and acidic. At night while we sleep, our mouths dry up, so we don’t choke on saliva during sleep. Saliva is important in neutralizing acids, and without it can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. Our dental restorations need to accommodate for those excessive jaw forces and continual environmental changes in the mouth. 

Ultimately, to be a great cosmetic dentist means developing high-level skills, building relationships with both your specialist and labs, listening to your patients, and loving what you do.

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About the Author

Dr. Misty Seale graduated from the Medical College of Georgia, College of Dental Medicine in Augusta, GA, with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2014. She has extensive experience working as a general dentist and performing a wide range of procedures, including preventative, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry. She is thrilled to own and manage iHeart Dental, a practice that genuinely makes a positive difference in her patients’ lives.

It’s Time to Wake Up to the Sleep Dentistry Revolution

The dental profession has been asleep at the wheel when it comes to our opportunity to help patients with their sleeping or airway problems. Despite visible symptoms in the oral cavity, this area continues to be neglected. Even if dental schools rarely emphasize airway-focused dentistry, it’s no excuse. It’s high time we awaken from our slumber, smell the coffee, and begin to address this essential issue.

Initially, my dental practice consisted mainly of restorative dentistry — “drill and fill.” However, rather than the helpful practitioners we were, patients perceived us as bearers of bad news. Finding cavities was a chore, with nary a hug in sight. Playing the good guy wasn’t easy.

Until one day, during a Continuing Education course on airway dentistry, it clicked — an exclusive “aha!” moment that transformed my approach to serving patients. This epiphany changed the trajectory of my profession forever.

To appreciate the importance of combating sleep apnea, we first need to understand it. Sleep apnea is a serious sleep disorder where one’s breathing stops for 10 seconds or more several times a night during sleep. Patients may also experience upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), which involves partial airway blockages during sleep, leading to increased effort in breathing. During these obstructions in breathing, the brain is deprived of oxygen, leading to disrupted sleep patterns and reduced deep and REM sleep levels. 

Studies have revealed that sleep apnea can lead to a multitude of problems, including mood disorders, depression, and fatigue. The risk of stroke and heart attack increases due to the body’s inability to regulate blood pressure, especially in untreated cases. Furthermore, a direct link has been identified between sleep apnea and Alzheimer’s disease. People often suffer from daytime drowsiness, leading to decreased overall quality of work performance and life. Over 100,000 vehicle accidents a year are due to sleep deprivation of all kinds.

Frequent and loud snoring is one of the most common signs of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). For those who breathe through their mouths, airway blockages may be due to swollen tonsils or tongue placement. These blockages can cause nocturnal awakenings, sometimes misconstrued as bathroom visits. Most people with OSA aren’t even aware of it unless they have a bed partner who complains about snoring. Shockingly, 80% of Americans with sleep apnea remain undiagnosed. That’s where we come in to help.

The OSA Oral Cavity Connection: What Can We Do? 

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) can manifest itself in various oral symptoms, which dentists are well-equipped to identify. Bruxism, a common manifestation of SDB, can lead to buccal exostosis, mandibular tori, and Abfractions — all clear warning signs of potential SDB. In combination with a small jaw structure and retrognathic mandible, which can create crowded dental arches, proper tongue positioning can become restricted, resulting in a scalloped tongue. With limited space, the tongue sits low and retracts into the oropharynx, obstructing the airway. It is crucial to diagnose and treat these symptoms promptly to improve the quality of sleep and breathing.

How My Eyes Were Opened to Sleep Dentistry

My father was a structural engineer who came to Texas from India in 1968. My mother was a dentist who arrived in 1972, but her Indian degree was not recognized in Texas. Dad took three jobs to support her to go to the Georgetown University School of Dentistry and sent my sister and me to relatives in India for two years so she could concentrate on earning her new degree (after being given one year of credit for her prior degree).

I wanted to follow in my father’s footsteps in engineering, but he encouraged dentistry. He said it would make me my own boss and allow a balance between work and life. My mother was my best friend, and we planned to practice together. Sadly, she passed away just before I could start at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry in 1996.

Inheriting her practice was a momentous occasion for me! As someone who thrives on social interaction, working with patients brought me immense joy and connection. However, I yearned for a deeper sense of fulfillment until I chanced upon a CE on sleep dentistry with no idea what to expect. The presentation left me in awe — the transformation dentists could deliver to their patients’ breathing and sleep patterns impacting their lives. It was a truly jaw-dropping (or jaw-widening) revelation! I knew at once that this was what I was meant to do.

I truly believe divine intervention altered my career’s course, even though it took me a few years to give it the focus it deserved. And now, my classmate turned partner and I treat patients at the Dental Studio of Carrollton, Texas (near Dallas), Dr. Robert Limosnero, shares in my passion for encouraging our colleagues to make this an essential part of their practices.

The MAD Solution to Sleep Apnea

In about 80% of cases where patients experience airway blockage, it’s caused by a retroglossal obstruction that can be resolved with Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT). A 3D cone beam scan is taken to identify the cause, which is often the tongue position. In the remaining cases, the blockage is located north of the maxilla and requires referral to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist. This type of obstruction could result from a deviated septum or chronic nasal congestion leading to enlarged turbinates, which impedes airflow and needs to be addressed to improve breathing.

I educate patients about their treatment choices, including the most commonly prescribed by doctors, the CPAP or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. I encourage those who prefer this to continue; however, approximately 50% are non-compliant due to discomfort — so much for the “gold standard” (Long-term use of CPAP has consequences as well). Although CPAP is widely prescribed, it’s not the only option, and many doctors aren’t sufficiently familiar with oral appliance therapy (OAT) as a viable alternative. Instead, let’s work with patients to devise personalized solutions rather than forcing them into a one-size-fits-all approach preferred by some doctors.

The most common alternative is a mandibular advancement device (MAD, an FDA-approved oral appliance customized for each patient by Modern Dental Laboratory), which pulls the mandible forward relative to the maxilla to widen the airway and prevent closure.

Additional Airway therapy 

Patients can also benefit from seeking help from a myofunctional therapist for physical therapy of the lips, tongue, and cheeks, as it helps to address how these areas impact the airway and teeth position.

Personally, I have experienced the discomforts of headaches, jaw pain, and snoring due to orthodontic treatment with headgear, but I have learned that having a forward-positioned, wider jaw can prevent these issues. I collaborate with an orthodontist (ODO) to design aligners that address specific issues, providing effective treatment for patients.

Our profession needs an honest dialogue about traditional approaches that neglect underdeveloped jaws, airways, and tongue placement. I have been warned that speaking up could mean fewer referrals, but it’s a risk worth taking.

Our patients deserve the best, so we’ll brave any criticism to embrace this new frontier of sleep dentistry because a good night’s sleep is nothing to yawn at!

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About the author

Dr. Sandhya Krishan attended the University of Houston and earned her DDS degree at the University of Texas Dental Branch in Houston. Her mother was also a dentist. Though they were never able to practice together, Dr. Sandhya’s memories of her mom are the inspiration for her own compassion and dedication to her practice.

Using Google Maps to Locate High-Value Dental Patients

Consider your own habits when searching for a local business. How often do you find what you’re looking for on the Google Maps? Or how often do you use the Google Maps app on your phone to find a local business?

Ranking well on Google Maps is the most effective online marketing method for a dentist to be found by local patients. Cutting-edge dental marketing companies are focused on helping their dental clients optimize for Google Maps.

How To Rank High on Google Maps for High-Value Patients

Dental practices hoping to attract new patients for high-value cases like dental implants, sleep devices, cosmetic surgeries, and smile makeovers should be aware of their current ranking on Google Maps for those search phrases. Once you understand how you currently rank, you can begin to implement a strategy for improvement.

What is a Google Business Profile (GBP)?

A common misunderstanding is that the information about your practice on the Google Maps comes from your website. It actually comes from your Google Business Profile, which is your business listing in the Google Business database.

Most small business owners are unaware that you can perform dental SEO to optimize your GBP, enabling it to rank higher on Google Maps. Your ranking depends on three optimization aspects: Prominence, Distance, and Relevance.

What is Prominence in Google Maps Optimization?

Prominence relates to how recognized you are within your community. Prominence is the most challenging of the three optimization aspects because Google measures prominence through inbound links. Getting an inbound link is a challenge in and of itself.

An example of a great inbound link would be for a colleague in your town to write an article about your practice and post the article to their website. Links to your website from the post act like votes of confidence. More votes = higher rankings.

What is Distance in Google Maps Optimization?

Google Maps is a location-based result. The location of your practice and the location where the person is searching influences the search results. Your practice may be ranking on the front page of Google a mile north of your practice, but it may not be ranking a mile south of your practice.

Location-based results are complicated, and the best way to understand them is to run a Google Maps Grid Report, which shows how high you're ranking on the Google map when people search from areas around your location.

Below is an example of a Google Maps Grid Report. The number on the colored dots is where the practice ranks when someone searches from that location. If the colored dot has a 1, 2, or 3, then the practice would be on the first page of Google Maps.

A more in-depth video explanation of how Google Maps results work can be found here.

What is the Relevance of Google Maps Optimization?

Relevance is a correlation between the patient's search phrase and the information in your GBP.

For instance, a potential patient searches for the "best dental implant dentist." You provide dental implants, but your GBP categories do not list you as a dental implant provider' which creates a problem in ranking for dental implant phrases. The good news is that it's a simple process to update your categories, which I'll discuss below.

How to Optimize for Dental Implants, Cosmetic Procedures, Smile Makeovers, and High-Value Services

1. Determine Your Ranking

   First, figure out how well you're ranking. If you send a request using this form, we'll run the grid reports for the keywords you'd like. I recommend that you have us run them on 'dental implants,' 'cosmetic dentist,' 'smile makeovers,' or any other keywords you're interested in.

2. Locate Your GBP Profile

   I created a video explaining how to find your GBP profile.

3. Update Your Primary and Secondary Category

   You can have one Primary Category and multiple additional categories. My recommendation is to have no more than 3 in total.

Categories are set by Google. You have to choose them from their list of dental categories. Here is the list of all the categories.

If you are a general dentist, your primary category should be "dentist," NOT "dental clinic." If you're an orthodontist, periodontist, prosthodontist, pediatric dentist, etc., you should make your primary category the same as your specialty.

The only situation that I’ve come across where you might want to break this rule is if you're a general dentist, but you only want cosmetic patients. In that case, you could make your primary category "Cosmetic dentist" and your secondary category "dentist." By doing so, you'll rank better for cosmetic terms and less for dental terms.

The caveat is this, "dentist" gets ten times more search volume than cosmetic dentist, and many people searching for a cosmetic procedure may be using cosmetic search phrases. How many times do you think someone looking for veneers searches for "best dentist near me?"

GO THE EXTRA MILE WITH YOUR OPTIMIZATION: For those who want to take the optimization further, watch this dental SEO training video that covers the top 10 steps for Google Maps optimization.

Google Maps Optimization Conclusion

Optimizing Google Maps should be a primary task for any dental marketing manager. It's not difficult, but it does take time. If done correctly and you begin ranking at the top of the search, the increase in new patient calls can be significant.

Please take advantage of some of the free resources we've created to help you get started optimizing and attracting new high-value patients.

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About the Author

Adrian Lefler is a dental marketing expert and the CEO of My Social Practice. He lives in Draper, Utah, with four super snarky kids, a professional spouse chef, one awesome dog, and one dumb dog.

Digital Technology Makes Dentistry Better for Doctors, Labs, and Patients

Digital technology has revolutionized the dental industry, and those dentists who are yet to embrace this technological advancement may want to evaluate the positive impact that embracing digital can make. Some have the attitude that patients have done well enough with how things have always been handled and may feel it is too much of a bother to change late in their careers. However, the outcomes are not only much better for dentists and patients, but dental laboratories can make integrating the digital process easy while adding immediate and long-term value to the practice.

One of the areas where digitizing the relationship has had the most significant impact is communication and collaboration between practices and the labs. In this blog post, we'll discuss why dentists should use this technology to enhance this relationship and the advantages that come with it.

The traditional process involved sending RXs, physical models, and/or impressions through the mail or by courier. This was not only time-consuming and expensive but also prone to errors and delays. Digital technology has simplified the process, while making it far more accurate and satisfactory for everyone, most importantly the patients. This is due to the ability of dentists to communicate with dental labs through digital channels, such as software applications associated with their preferred intraoral scanners, web portals, email, and even texting. Of course, the digital technology can be supplemented with phone calls or visits to the lab (or arranging lab staff to go to the practice).

Another significant advantage of digital collaboration is speed. This enables dentists to send and receive information from dental labs almost instantly, reducing turnaround time and allowing for faster delivery of dental prosthetics to the office. This also means that patients can receive theirs quicker in many cases, while also reducing their time wearing temporary prosthetics. Perhaps the most important advantage of using digital technology when working with dental labs is accuracy. It enables dentists to send very precise digital impressions, reducing the possibility of errors and misinterpretation. Digital impressions are also more consistent and reproducible, making it easier for dental labs to create prosthetics that are perfectly fitted to the patient's mouth. 

Consider that a scan is an exact copy of the patient's mouth that is being worked on, while physical impressions are analog copies of the mouth, which are then copied in stone and then again in scanning, in most cases. Impression material and stone both have expansion and contraction to factor in, which does still work, but consistency is lacking when compared to intraoral scans. Digital communication also enables better collaboration between dentists and dental labs. Dentists can share digital images, X-rays, and patient records, enabling lab technicians to have a better understanding of the patient's dental condition and treatment plan. This ensures that dental labs can create prosthetics that meet the patient's unique needs and preferences.

Furthermore, it makes possible full customization of dental prosthetics. Digital technology enables dentists to see digital mockups of prosthetics by lab technicians before production to better meet the patient's specific needs. Customization of dental prosthetics ensures that patients receive prosthetics that are perfectly fitted and comfortable, enhancing their overall dental experience. Digital communication also makes it easier for dentists to track the progress of prosthetics. With digital communication, they can receive updates from labs, reducing the need for follow-up calls and visits. This ensures that dentists have accurate information on the progress of prosthetics and can provide patients with regular updates.

Moreover, setting up digital workflows for prosthetics means dentists can store patient records and digital impressions on secure servers, reducing the need for physical storage space in the office. This not only saves space but also reduces the risk of loss or damage to physical records and impressions. Without the need for storing and shipping physical models and impressions, the cost of prosthetics for patients can be lowered, making dental care more affordable and accessible.

Dentists who fully embrace the digital revolution in collaborating with their labs will find the work of creating prosthetics is much easier and results in patients who are happy and loyal, the foundation for long-term practice success.

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Featuring

At Modern Dental USA, our Digital Support Services are available to help dentists make the transition to digital dentistry painless. From assisting with your digital scan needs and troubleshooting to supporting the advancement of your digital dentistry knowledge, we got your team covered. We love digital technology and want to make your journey fun, simple, and productive.

Gary Salman's Black Talon Flies to Protect Dental Practices From Ransomware Attacks

Five years ago, the typical ransomware attack on small practices demanded $5,000. Today the hackers' demands may start at $250,000, says Gary Salman, CEO of Black Talon Security, LLC, with offices in Katonah, NY, and Boca Raton, FL. Even worse, unless a professional cybersecurity firm manages the crisis, the odds are high that the practice will have to close for a couple of weeks for lack of access to its files until the ransom is paid. Otherwise, the patient data will be posted on the "dark web" for other criminals to exploit.

Black Talon, founded in 2017 by Salman, has developed a reputation for being the “new sheriff” in dental practice cybersecurity to explain how to prevent attacks or negotiate with thieves who have stolen patient records. He is best known among dentists for serving as the director of Carestream Dental's U.S. oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics divisions for most of the 15 years he was with the company.

"I come from a long line of oral surgeons, including my dad, a couple of cousins, and a great, great uncle who was one of the first OMS in New York," Salman told Modern Dental USA, explaining his early interest. "My original major at Muhlenberg College was pre-med with plans to become an oral surgeon, but I was already a computer nerd. The summer after my freshman year, my dad asked me to develop practice management software for his practice since there was nothing specifically engineered for his specialty. We met with a family friend who worked at IBM, who recommended we work with a database application and try and engineer it ourselves. I saw an opportunity and switched my major to the first class of a B.A. in entrepreneurial studies. I was flying all over the country in my last two years of college, setting up OMS practices with our software, and by the time of graduation, I had 30 clients."

Salman founded OMS COMP to serve his growing client list in the Internet Stone Age of 1991, selling it to PracticeWorks (now Carestream Dental) in 2002. Over the last decade, he began receiving more and more panicked calls from dentists he had known for a long time and had been hit with ransomware. Unfortunately, he had to inform them that his company was not in the cybersecurity business.

"I realized there was going to be a huge and growing opportunity in this space because IT vendors were not doing an adequate job of protecting their customers from these types of hackers," he said. "I began talking to friends at Fortune 500 companies about forming a cybersecurity firm that could close this dangerous gap that was seriously damaging businesses, creating chaos, and leading to patient data being made available online in violation of HIPAA. We now serve a wide variety of healthcare clients, professional services organizations, manufacturers, accountants, robotics companies, and software companies."

Black Talon has done thousands of firewall tests, and he estimates that about 60% of dental practices can be readily breached due to undetected vulnerabilities on the devices. Even at large, their IT vendors and otherwise sophisticated Dental Service Organizations (DSOs) do not recognize how easy it is for hackers to scan their firewalls for vulnerabilities and breach the network. Most practices believe that if they have installed anti-virus software, that is all they need to prevent hacking. They often do not realize that there are many other ways that hackers can gain access to their network.

There is a lot of naivete among small practice owners who think being "in the Cloud" means they don't have data on their computers. Salman says a lot of patient records are stored on x-ray and CT machines, in emails and attachments, on the “front-desk” computers, and hackers can just install screen sharing software that automatically fills in the name and password to log in and browse the history to find whatever they want.

"Too often, if there is a breach, the IT vendor will erase the evidence this happened and tell their client that they will just recover the backups, that it was just a ‘cryptovirus,’ and doing that prevents a forensic team from being able to even communicate with the hackers," Salman explained. "The practice doesn't realize that 75% of the time when a breach has occurred, their patient data has been stolen, and they only find out it is online when a government agency tells them their data is available on the dark web. Too many practices are unaware of the HIPAA regulations and unfortunately find out the hard way."

When IT vendors get involved in remediating the attack, they often tell clients the problem has been fixed and not to worry, hoping word will not get out and that their ability to protect practices won’t be called into question. But how can Black Talon negotiate terms with cybercriminals and trust them to unlock and decode the data after a ransom is paid?

"About five years ago, some hackers were paid and did not return the keys to unlock the encrypted data, but they went out of business because other cybersecurity groups and we started posting notices never to pay them," Salman explained. "Many of these operate like franchises that split the ransom with the provider of the encryption software, so in their industry, there is a need to have a good reputation for cooperating with us. It’s along the same lines of a business getting a bad Yelp review."

Late in 2022, Black Talon began installing automatic self-patching solutions to fix exploitable vulnerabilities. “This patching software is far more sophisticated than what IT providers are doing for their dental clients,” Salman said, “and far more advanced than simply relying on Microsoft or Adobe.” Millions have been put in place to eliminate the risks associated with software and hardware vulnerable to exploitation.

"It will typically take 30 to 45 days for IT companies to remediate the vulnerabilities we detect, which is too long since cybercriminals typically can build exploitation kits within 10 days," he explained. "Hackers are also increasing the speed of their attack. They used to dwell within the system for 3 to 4 weeks. Now, they get in, steal the data and launch their attack within days."

Where will dental practices be going in 2023 and beyond in regard to ransomware? Salman predicts "autonomous identification and remediation by those who understand they are in a war with a very sophisticated enemy.”

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Featuring

As the CEO and co-founder of Black Talon Security, Gary Salman is dedicated to data security and understanding the latest trends in the industry, particularly as they relate to healthcare. He has decades of experience in software development and computer IT and developed one of the first Cloud-based healthcare systems. As a sought-after speaker and writer, Gary also lectures nationally on cybersecurity threats and their impact on the healthcare industry. He has lectured and trained tens of thousands of practices across the U.S. on how to maintain “best practices” in cybersecurity and has been featured in over 70 national publications and news stories in the medical, dental, legal, and financial industries. In addition, Gary has over 17 years as an instructor at West Point and is involved in law enforcement. He is also a member of InfraGard.

How to Buy or Sell A Practice Without It Feeling Like An Anesthesia-Free Root Canal Procedure

Everyone knows that great dentists are often not the best examples of being CEOs of a practice. A DDS or DMD is not an MBA, and it is certainly not a law degree. It is no big surprise that when some dentists try to manage the sale of their practice or the process of bringing on an associate, it can be like trying to pull their own teeth, with the long-term consequences of not replacing them with implants.

"When it comes to the most important transaction of a dentist's life, it is key to work with a team of professionals and not cut any corners," said David Cohen, managing attorney of the Cohen Law Firm PLLC, a dental law firm that focuses on practice transitions.

Cohen’s father is a periodontist, and since he knew many of his father’s colleagues, he decided to establish his law firm in 2010 to help dentists and other professionals.

"I have always been a deal maker, so the transactional world was an organic fit for me. I wanted to help small to medium-sized businesses, and having grown up in a dental family, assisting dentists was a perfect fit."

His firm now performs legal work for 300-400 practice transitions annually. Approximately half are sales to Dental Service Organizations, and the other half entail doctor-to-doctor sales.

"When we are brought on for a practice sale, we often find that the doctor is not optimally set up for transition success, particularly as it pertains to employment documentation with associate doctors," he said. "We find that either the doctor does not have an employment agreement in place, or the one in place lacks assignability rights [the ability to transfer rights to another]. In order to optimize the value of a practice and, in some cases, make the practice sellable, the contract and its restrictive covenants need to be assignable. Also, the contract being assigned needs to be palatable for a buyer."

Cohen says he has seen many doctors have to take price reductions in their sales or have difficulty selling without the proper legal foundation, with the above being an example.

He notes that it is often overlooked that personality clashes can doom an agreement, even if there is harmony in the rest of the deal. That's why bringing on an associate who wants to own the practice or become a partner eventually is the best way to test-drive the relationship.

Alternatively, a personality test can reveal surprising results to both parties and prevent misunderstandings from developing. There are many tests popular with businesses, such as Myers Briggs, DiSC, Hogan Personality Inventory, Keirsey Assessment, Big Five Personality Test, and the Enneagram.

Buyers are often younger dentists who rely on the advice of colleagues, even though their experiences may not be standard. Cohen says due diligence from a team of experts for everything from accounting to real estate is critical.

"If you are in your late 50s or early 60s and are thinking about selling your practice, you really need to plan in advance to have the best options," he counseled. "DSOs need the dentist to continue to practice for at least three and usually five years, and if you decide to get out earlier, you significantly narrow your options. Additionally, private buyers need financing, and many lenders cannot make loans over $2-3 million for a bigger practice. So, the way for a bigger practice to stay sellable is to bring an associate into the practice and have them purchase interest over the years in smaller increments or sell to a DSO. To keep all options open, pre-planning years in advance is critical."

Cohen explained that while DSOs often have been looked upon in a negative light, they have worked hard over the years to accommodate dentists and help them maintain high quality in their practices.

"In the best cases, clients tell me that they don't even notice the difference when a DSO takes over management of the business, which allows them to concentrate on the work they love to do."

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Featuring

David Cohen, the owner of Cohen Law Firm, PLLC, specializes in helping dentists and specialists with their legal business transactional needs, including practice purchases, sales, partnerships, associateships, business structuring, and formation. David speaks extensively to dental audiences across the country on these topics. David conducts approximately 200 practice transitions per year, and Cohen Law Firm serves clients nationally and understands the unique nature of the law as it relates to dentistry. David’s academic background includes Stanford Graduate School of Business, Stanford School of Engineering, Seattle University School of Law, and Bucknell University.

Master of One or Superstar of All

To be a specialist or not to be, that is the question. The world of martial arts can be used to draw parallels to dentistry. Does one aim to be a master black belt in Shito Ryu Karate or Jiu Jitsu, or does one become a champion UFC fighter in mixed martial arts? The same question applies to being an excellent, well-diversified general dentist or a specialist in dentistry.

In Karate, students tie on colored belts themselves as they progress in level, except for when it comes to the black belt. The sensei always straps on the black belt once a student achieves that status. Just like obtaining board certification and recognition in orthodontics, endodontics, oral surgery, etc., all the hard work, exams, mastering katas, and ninja crunches, or defending a thesis like doing a karate endurance test— all come to an unforgettable defining moment. This is when the dentist walks on stage at graduation or the black belt is secured onto the karate gi.

However, the rules in dentistry are a little more particular. The "good" about being a specialist is that you are deemed an expert in that field of dentistry. Specializing comes with the fact that this specific sub-category of dentistry will be all you do for the rest of your life if you choose to remain a specialist. Some martial artist masters are content with being experts in their style of martial arts. However, others are more exploratory; they may want that sensation and satisfaction of being a bleeding, super-ripped, tattooed MMA fighter who ultimately is known for a "don't mess with me" attitude. Just as in general dentistry, some want to branch out into dental sleep medicine, implant dentistry, or teaching, researching, and/or getting educated on multi-disciplines. Since there are so many developing areas (such as sleep dentistry and occlusion/TMD/orofacial pain), general dentists can credential and earn fellowships, masterships, and diplomates in these excellent branches of dentistry. 

Furthermore, as the MMA fighter can explore new moves, techniques, and strength building, the general dentist can find a new passion for becoming proficient in what still needs to be researched and studied. Examples are the connection between restorative dentistry to the airway, sleep bruxism, and REM sleep, or how cranial distortions, squamous suture releases (non-invasive), and postural problems connect to TMD and myofascial pain. There is so much to explore and to learn about—and as an MMA general dentist, the sky is not even the limit.

On the other hand, if you want to be an outstanding, diversified general dentist who enjoys, learns, and grows in multiple disciplines, you are still obligated to do each procedure to the level that meets the standard of the specialist. If you cannot, then you must refer to a specialist. Just like all the dilacerated roots for endo, the bony impacted third molars, or the extensive bone grafts from oval window to block grafts, general dentists must refer if they feel their expertise, skill, and experience is not to the level of the black belts out there. With that said, there are benefits to both careers. Both can achieve superstar status and be trendsetters, changing paradigms and improving healthcare worldwide.

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About the author

 Jerry Hu, DDS, is triple board-certified in dental sleep medicine and holds masterships, fellowships, and accreditations in implant and cosmetic dentistry. He also has published numerous clinical studies in peer-reviewed, highly respected journals such as AACD's Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry and AADSM's Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Hu also teaches for Modern Dental Group, Sleep Group Solutions, VIVOS growth guidance appliance group, and Prosomnus Sleep Technologies. He also has won numerous awards in cosmetic and implant dentistry from Macstudio Model Search by MicroDental, and the IAPA Aesthetic Eye competition. He is currently working on a patent for dental sleep medicine and looking to help the US military out in dental sleep medicine.

Compassionate Dental Marketing: Why Giving Practices Grow

Sure, having a dental practice that does good has its intrinsic rewards. Building a positive image for your practice is great for team morale. But there are other benefits of sharing your charitable efforts in your dental marketing campaigns.

Today's patients, especially millennials, are more conscientious consumers than any generation before them. They want to know they're receiving high-quality services from companies with good labor practices and respect for their customers.

A study from Nielsen showed that people are more likely to spend money with a company if they know it is involved in ethical business practices. And millennials report that they want their companies to tell them about the good things they're doing for society.

What does this mean for a local dental practice? Your patients and potential patients want to see that you're making a difference in the world. They must trust that you care about your patients, team members, and community. By doing so, you prioritize human relationships over "selling dentistry," which is the dental brand most dentists should want for their practice.

How Charitable Dental Marketing Can Help Your Practice Grow

When patients see that you are focused on making a difference, they automatically assume other areas of your practice, such as cutting-edge technology, customer service, and quality of care, are excellent. As a result, the overall perceived value of your dental practice will increase in their minds.

3 Charitable Dental Marketing Ideas

1. Support a Dental Charity Organization

Dentists and dental team members derive a lot of fulfillments from giving back. Not only does it make them feel good, but it also cements the practice's values and enhances its connection with local patients.

Dentists have a unique opportunity because they can make a positive difference in patient's lives by improving their quality of life and oral health. 

Burnout reduction is an often-overlooked benefit of participating in charitable dental marketing. When a person is involved in philanthropy, it's an expression of gratitude that decreases burnout in the dentist and the team.

Many dental charities would love participation and support from your practice. An organization that MicroDental has worked with for years is Give Back A Smile, which is an AACD charitable foundation. If you have yet to be involved with this organization, we encourage you to visit their website to learn more.

Here is a list of the top charitable dental marketing organizations and their contact information.

2. Whiten Patient Smiles for Charity

If you're interested in supporting children's charities, running a whiten smiles for charity day is an effective campaign that will help children in need in your community.

You block out one day and whiten smiles for free. The proceeds are donated to local and national charities supporting children's charities.

We've developed a digital marketing campaign and instructions on how to run a one-day whitening event. Everything is ready to go. You can download the One-Day Whiten For Charity Campaign materials here.

3. Celebrate Your Patients' Life Events and Donate

Your social media posts are an authentic way to show how your practice feels about patients and team members. Regular posting builds your practice brand as well as followers. But many dental practices need help knowing what to post about.

A creative and highly engaging post strategy is celebrating your patient's life events. Birthdays, anniversaries, leaving on vacation, and having a new child are all great opportunities that your practice can highlight. Posts like these show that you are conscious and aware of your patients' lives.

When you post the photo or video, mention that you're making a small donation on behalf of your patient to a local charity. Use the Life Events Social Sign Pack to help get an excellent patient photo as simple as possible.

Remember to stay HIPAA compliant when you post patient photos. HIPAA regulations require a signed authorization form for each image posted online. If you need a proper photo release form, you can download one here.

Conclusion

Charitable giving is a valuable way to promote your practice and fuel practice growth. Don't hesitate to mention your philanthropic contributions online. Another great way to do this is to add a page to your dental website design titled "Community Outreach." On this page, add photos and descriptions of your involvement in the community.

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About the author

Adrian Lefler is a dental marketing expert, founder, and Chief Marketing Officer at My Social Practice. He lives in Draper, Utah, with four super snarky kids, a gorgeous spouse, one awesome dog, and one dumb dog.

Advantages of Digital Removable Prosthodontics

The advantage of digital removable prosthetics is the ability to view collected clinical data such as terminal dentition, ridge relationship, prosthetic condition, prosthetic space, anatomical landmarks, anterior esthetics, and functional occlusion from various perspectives before treatment has begun. This clinical data is collected from an intra-oral scanner (IOS) (Image 1) or by scanning physical impressions or models.

When using an IOS, prosthetic variables such as impression materials and gypsum are eliminated, thus creating a 1:1 relationship between scan and soft tissue anatomy or denture. Eliminating prosthetic variables provides a better fitting and functional prosthesis when using a clinical digital workflow.

Image 1: An Intra-Oral Scanner collects soft tissue anatomy data of patients' edentulous maxillae and mandible.

The main differentiator between traditional and digital prosthetics is data. The traditional process for denture prosthetics destroys clinical data such as impressions, relationship records, and master casts. Digital workflows are Data Driven (Image 2).

Image 2

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Intra-Oral Scan or Natural Dentition for a Provisional Partial Denture

A leaf gauge was used to scan the Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (VDO). The lower right image below shows the bite scan at the desired VDO. The advantage of acquiring and collecting data with an IOS for removable prosthetics is the simplicity and efficiency of taking a digital impression (Image 3).

Image 3

 

Case Presentation

In honor of Veteran’s Day, MicroDental had the pleasure of working with Dr. Kyle Benton in providing maxillary and mandibular digital dentures to a Veteran this last month. The digital workflow that was used in this case will be described in this blog (Image 4).

Image 4

The clinical workflow starts with taking a wash impression as you would for a reline on the intaglio surfaces of the maxillary and mandibular dentures. The dentures are tissue conditioned with a functional impression material or polyvinyl siloxane. The wash impression is taken if the retention and stability of the dentures need to be improved.

The intaglio (tissue surface) and cameo (teeth and base) surfaces are scanned along with a bite scan. If the Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (VDO) needs to increase due to severely worn posterior teeth, the bite scan is taken at desired VDO. The bite scan is the collected clinical data of a relationship record.

These three scans of collected clinical data will provide enough information to design a set of digital dentures.

Image 5

The image above shows scanned maxillary and mandibular dentures. The dentures are not in occlusion since a new, increased VDO record was taken at desired VDO. The bite scan is hidden in order to conduct a data analysis of denture design and re-establishing the functional occlusion.

Sagittal views of scanned dentures show severely worn posterior teeth with a reverse curve of the Wilson pattern on maxillary and mandibular occlusal surfaces (Image 6).

Image 6

Image 7

Maxillary Denture scan analysis shows the soft tissue anatomy and worn posterior teeth with the same reverse curve of the Wilson where pattern (Image 7).

The mandibular dentures show intaglio and cameo surfaces. Note the severe wear and pattern on the posterior occlusal surface. All mandibular teeth anterior and posterior will be lengthened to compensate for worn acrylic resin (Image 8).

Image 8

Image 9

In the photo above, the STL files of scanned dentures are then brought into the design to reset teeth according to new relationship records. Anterior denture teeth are used as a reference for mold selection and tooth position in computer-aided design (CAD). The plane of occlusion is verified on a virtual articulator to re-establish functional denture occlusion (Image 9).

In the photo below, the purple reference is now green with the proposed tooth arrangement in a white and pink denture base. This shows that the proposed denture teeth are in the same position as the existing denture, which is the reference. The definitive denture is built with base and teeth for the final milling of an Ivotion Denture in Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAM) (Image 10).

Image 10

Image 11

 The image above shows the patient's smile before and after the finished Ivotion digital dentures. The Veteran will now have a digital file for his new dentures. This digital file contains all collected clinical data plus the design file in case the patient needs another set of dentures. Archiving and retaining the data for their digital denture is a great advantage and benefit to the dentist and patient.

Image 12

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About the author

Robert Kreyer, CDT is a third-generation Dental Technician who received his training from the US Army Medical Field Service School in 1971. He is a member of the American Prosthodontic Society, a Fellow of The International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the past Chair of The American College of Prosthodontists Dental Technician Alliance. Mr. Kreyer received certification from Ivoclar Vivadent as a Biofunctional Prosthetic System (BPS) Technical Instructor as well as from Candulor in Zurich, Switzerland as their Course Instructor.

Robert owned and operated Kreyer Dental Prosthetics from the years 1975 to 2010. In 2010, Robert Kreyer was the first recipient of The American College of Prosthodontists Dental Technician Leadership Award. In 2011, he was selected by the National Board of Certification in Dental Technology as their CDT of the Year. In 2014, Robert Kreyer received the Rudd Award from the Editorial Council of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.  He is currently the Director of Removables Prosthetics at MicroDental Laboratories and Modern Dental USA where he focuses on research and development and digital workflows.

How Not to Get Hacked On Social Media

SAVE YOURSELF FROM A MASSIVE HEADACHE BY SECURING YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNTS 

On July 11th this year, a hacker accessed our (My Social Practice) Facebook page and began running weight loss ads using our company credit card. Luckily we caught it almost immediately and canceled our credit cards.

But once the hackers got into our account, it took almost a month to regain control. 

In this post, I'll explain how we got hacked, why we were hacked, and what we've done so that it doesn't happen again.

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Watch the "Don't Get Hacked Like We Did" Webinar Recording

How We Got Hacked

It's my fault! It's all my fault! 

I haven't updated my passwords for years. A hacker was able to get into my personal Facebook page using one of my two obvious passwords. 

They could have accessed most of my online accounts, including my bank accounts, because I haven't used high-security passwords. I'm lucky that it was only Facebook.

Once they got into my Facebook account, they could access My Social Practice's Facebook page because my personal Facebook account is an admin on the page. 

What Happened Once the Hacker Got Into Our Page

I received an email from Facebook at 2:58 am letting me know that somebody was changing the email I used on Facebook. I was asleep at this time and didn't see the email. 

Here is a screenshot of the email I received. I've blacked out my email but left the email the hacker used. 

Three minutes later, at 3:01 am, I received a second email from Facebook confirming that my email had been changed. 

Once my email was changed, the hacker removed every one of the admins on our Facebook page. Replacing them were bogus Facebook accounts. 

Removing the admins essentially locked everyone at My Social Practice out of accessing our Facebook page. 

The hacker immediately went to work running weight loss and bra ads using our company credit card. 

Before anyone had woken up and realized that we were hacked, a bill of almost $5,000 had been spent.

Why Was The Hacker Running Weight Loss Ads?

Much of the online advertising industry runs on affiliate networks. An affiliate network allows someone to run an ad on behalf of a company. If a consumer clicks on the ad and purchases from the company, a commission is paid to the advertiser. 

Another reason online accounts get hacked is intentional vandalism. Some people hack because they're angry with the company. 

Hacking has gone mainstream. You may have heard of Anonymous; it is a covert hacking group. Recently they've been hacking Russia.

This particular hacker ran weight loss ads from our account because they received a commission if someone clicked on the ad and then purchased a product. 

What Did We Do To Regain Control?

The first thing we did was cancel our credit cards. Once the cards were not working, we submitted a ticket to Facebook about the hacker. 

Here is a screenshot of our ticket using the link above.

It took almost a month to regain control of our account. Even though it was obvious to us that we had been hacked, Facebook had to do a ton of verification to put everything back together. The process required dozens of emails and messages back and forth.

Eventually, we were refunded the hacker's ad spend. 

How Not To Get Hacked?

Even though we've been talking about Facebook, any of your online social media accounts can get hacked. Even dental websites can get hacked. 

For a medical professional regulated by HIPAA, you should be highly concerned with patient data. You have to make sure your site is secure. Remember that prevention is the best course of action. 

Here is a message about how to not get hacked by Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram.

After the hack, I changed all my passwords to high-security ones. I used a software app called LastPass. I found the app to work exceptionally well. 

I will say that updating all my passwords was a severe pain that took almost three days of pulling my hair out. Now that they're updated, though, I feel much better. 

Are You In Need Of More Help?

Although My Social Practice is not a security company, thousands of clients rely on us for online dental marketing support. 

We often run into situations where our clients need guidance and support on security issues. We can help dentists and dental team members navigate issues like the one discussed in this article.

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About the Author

Adrian Lefler is a dental marketer and a key member of the dental marketing team at My Social Practice. He has been involved in digital marketing for many years in the dental industry. Adrian has helped thousands of practices grow and thrive through digital marketing. Adrian and his wife Emilie have four children and live in Suncrest, Utah.

Clinical Factors to Consider When Choosing A Material For An Anterior Crown

Based on a 2016 survey of US dentists, most anterior crowns are fabricated from either monolithic lithium disilicate (i.e., e.max) or porcelain fused to zirconia. (1) Since the time of that survey, the use of monolithic 4 or 5 mol% yttria-containing translucent zirconia (4Y or 5Y) has also become popular. In the hands of a skilled laboratory technician, either type of restoration can be esthetically pleasing and durable. Often a technician may have more experience with one type of restorative material and prefer using that material for anterior crowns. 

In the absence of a technician’s preference, several clinical factors must be considered before prescribing restorative material.

Color of the underlying tooth preparation

If the underlying tooth preparation is the hue and value of natural dentin, then material selection would not need to consider the color of the underlying tooth preparation. However, if the tooth preparation is stained, discolored, or contains a dark core material, the restorative material used for an anterior crown must be opaque enough to mask the preparation. One strategy to conceal a discolored tooth preparation is to perform internal bleaching of the tooth (if it is root canal treated) or place an opaquer on the preparation. Another option is to select a restorative material that is sufficiently opaque to block the discolored tooth. A study compared the ability of several different restorative materials to mask a C4 shade tooth preparation. (2) In the study, porcelain fused to 3 mol% yttria containing (3Y) zirconia or porcelain fused to HO e.max at 1.8mm combined thickness blocked out the C4 preparation. Monolithic LT e.max and 5Y translucent zirconia at 1.8mm thickness could not block the discoloration. Additionally, adding opaque cement had no significant effect on the ability of the crown to block out the discoloration. In summary, porcelain fused to 3Y zirconia or porcelain fused to HO e.max crown would be recommended for discolored tooth preparation.

Amount of incisal clearance 

If there is limited incisal clearance, it will limit the amount of restorative material thickness that can be used. The amount of restorative material thickness needed for each type of material varies based on the strength of the materials and the manufacturer’s recommendations. 

For lithium disilicate, the recommended lingual reduction had previously been 1.2mm. The new recommendation for lingual reduction for lithium disilicate if it is bonded with resin cement is 1mm. For translucent zirconia (i.e., 4Y and 5Y), manufacturers have recommended as little as 0.8mm of reduction. For 3Y zirconia, manufacturers have recommended as little as 0.4mm of reduction. Therefore, if there is limited incisal clearance, a selection of porcelain fused to a 3Y zirconia crown may be used as zirconia coping can be used with a limited thickness on the lingual and porcelain added to the facial for esthetics. 

It is important to note that these dimensions are minimum requirements, and the clinician should aim for slightly more reduction. Tooth reduction does not equal restorative material thickness, as a crown must also possess some external anatomy and internal die spacer thickness.    

Choice of cement

Based on a survey of US dentists, most dentists will choose to cement zirconia restorations with resin-modified glass ionomer (RMGI) cement and bond lithium disilicate restorations with resin cement. (3) Likely, RMGI cement is commonly used with zirconia restorations because it is strong enough to survive in the mouth without the additional reinforcement of resin bonding. The advantages of using RMGI cement are that it is easier to use, is more moisture tolerant, and releases fluoride. The advantages of resin cement are that it is more retentive, reinforces the strength of the restorative material, and reduces microleakage. Therefore, if a dentist has a reason to use RMGI cement, it may be preferable to prescribe a zirconia crown.

Summary

In summary, some reasons to consider prescribing a zirconia-based restoration for anterior crowns are if the tooth preparation is discolored, there is limited incisal clearance, and if the clinician desires to use RMGI cement.

References

1. Makhija SK, Lawson NC, Gilbert GH, Litaker MS, McClelland JA, Louis DR, Gordan VV, Pihlstrom DJ, Meyerowitz C, Mungia R, McCracken MS; National Dental PBRN Collaborative Group. Dentist material selection for single-unit crowns: Findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. J Dent. 2016 Dec;55:40-47.

2. Bacchi A, Boccardi S, Alessandretti R, Pereira GKR. Substrate masking ability of bilayer and monolithic ceramics used for complete crowns and the effect of association with an opaque resin-based luting agent. J Prosthodont Res. 2019 Jul;63(3):321-326.

3. Lawson NC, Litaker MS, Ferracane JL, Gordan VV, Atlas AM, Rios T, Gilbert GH, McCracken MS; National Dental Practice-Based Research Network Collaborative Group. Choice of cement for single-unit crowns: Findings from The National Dental Practice-Based Research Network. J Am Dent Assoc. 2019 Jun;150(6):522-530.

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About the Author

Nate Lawson DMD Ph.D., UAB School of Dentistry

Dr. Lawson, is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. He has served as an investigator on over 50 clinical and laboratory research grants, and published over 150 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 3M Innovative Research Fellowship both from the American Dental Association. He serves on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and Compendium. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” and Dentistry

My personal alarm went off during my 15th year in dentistry. I had just walked into a one-hour photo store. Remember those places? (You probably don’t if you are under thirty). I was excited about picking up photos of my daughter’s play. The salesperson told me that the pictures weren’t ready yet. So, I yelled at her. Within 5 minutes, I knew something was wrong… with me. How could I let loose on another human being I did not know for such a minor issue? It was time for me to evaluate myself, not her.

And so, I did. I realized that I was miserably unhappy in my line of work: dentistry, and I was taking that misery home with me every day. My way of turning my dental world around was to spend years going to the Dawson Academy and then 12+ years involved with the AACD until I genuinely became proud and even thrilled with my dental world.

I invite you to look at your dental world. Do you come home happy or devastated every day? It is hard to be a human, much less a dentist, in 2022. We live in a dental world still destabilized by Covid but also confronted by dental inflation, terrible political wars, staffing issues, and insurance companies who constantly look for reasons NOT to pay dental claims. Add to that “dental imposter syndrome“ the feeling many dentists have that we are not worthy of doing what we do – that others are confidently prepared, and we are not.

For many of you, like my past self, who come to the office unhappy and come home just as unhappy, it is time to seek “the bright side of life” in dentistry.

In reality, most of us are VERY lucky. We either own a practice or work in one and have a 6-figure income. We are dutifully employed, and most of us weathered the pandemic pretty well. We get to use our hands and play with “cool stuff” every day. A wise soul (my wife) once told me that dentists have it better than people in most professions: we can see how we have helped patients every day with our own eyes. Very few professions can say that.

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HERE ARE SOME SUGGESTIONS FROM AN EXPERIENCED DENTAL SOUL:

1) Support and SHOW that you treasure your best employees – they need to know you feel that way. You would be surprised how far a positive note goes to both of you feeling great.

2) If you have employees who make you or others feel worse about coming to work, do not wait. Get rid of them – WHO we spend our days with can make or break our week.

3) Hire employees because of their kindness. Other skills can be learned.

4) If you dread doing a procedure, either find ways to get better at it or STOP DOING IT! You can find other procedures you enjoy more (i.e., sleep, esthetics, placing implants, digital dentistry).

5) Find a practice management company to help you (I did this far too late in my career). It’s expensive but money WELL spent.

6) Get better at what you do! Your staff appreciates you more, and you appreciate yourself more when you do new and better procedures. Consider the AACD, the ASDA, the AAID, Dawson, Pankey, and Seattle Study Clubs – they want you to get better, and you will!

7) Is insurance getting you down? It is still possible to drop out of plans that are making you miserable. Ask those of us who have, even during a recession.

8) Think about what we have that so many others do not: work to go to; little chance of losing our jobs; patients who are loyal to us; the ability to work hours that correspond with our life needs; decent to excellent incomes.

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In conclusion: It’s time to look on the bright side of life and dentistry. Our happiness is under OUR control. Look back at the GOOD things that happened today. Try focusing on those for a change… it will change your life.

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About the author

Dr. Peter Auster

Dr. Peter Auster continues thirty-five years of cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry in his private practice in Pomona, NY. He has written dozens of articles for major dental publications. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists.

Dr. Auster is proud to be a speaker and product reviewer for Catapult Education. He completed two terms on the board of directors of the AACD, was chair of their leadership committee and is currently, the 2022 chairman of their Professional Education Committee. He is a “Dawson Scholar” and received a “Concept of Complete Dentistry Award” from the Dawson Academy. Dr. Auster is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

Why 5-Star Google Reviews are Vital to Practice Growth

There is a little spread in the stats, but somewhere between 77% and 86% of people looking for local business use the Google maps application to find a result. The same goes for potential patients looking for a new dentist.

I'm not sure if those numbers mean anything to you, but for a dental marketer, it's astounding. If building your Google review profile isn't right up at the top of your marketing initiatives, you're missing the boat.

WHY ARE GOOGLE REVIEWS SO IMPORTANT?

Everyone knows that Google reviews are valuable, but not everyone knows exactly why they're helpful.

The word on the street is that Google reviews help you rank higher in the search engine. At least I've heard this at some recent marketing presentations. 

Usually, that claim comes from dental marketing companies selling Google review aggregation software. They're not right, but they're not completely wrong. 

Getting more Google reviews slightly impacts local SEO rankings, but it's not much. I would estimate less than 10% of the local ranking algorithm.

If that claim were true, you would find the dentists with the most reviews always at the top of the Google map. But in our exhaustive local dental SEO research project, which included more than 28,000 dental practices across the USA, we found that it's just not the case. 

Practices with the most reviews did not consistently rank higher than other practices in their area. 

So, don't worry about outranking your competition by trying to get more Google reviews. It's probably not going to work. If you want to outrank your competition, you need to start doing dental SEO, which is another conversation.

THE REAL REASON WHY GOOGLE REVIEWS ARE VALUABLE

Consumers have come to trust Google reviews as much as personal recommendations. Around 50% of consumers a few years ago valued Google reviews as robust as personal recommendations, but now it's close to 90%.

What this means is a 5-star Google review is as valuable as one of your patients recommending your office to their friend. And if you remember back to your college marketing 101 class, you learned that word-of-mouth marketing is the most valuable form of marketing. It's inexpensive and has a high conversion rate. 

The real reason why Google reviews are so valuable is not that it helps you rank higher; it's because you will be chosen over other practices. If you're the third listing on the Google map, but your review profile is kicking some serious booty, you will get the phone call.

We know this because we've been tracking dental practice phone calls through Google maps for years. When a practice's review profile is better than the competition, they start getting more calls, even if their rankings have not gone up.

But, here is the big kicker…

WHY YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW PROFILE COULD BE KILLING YOUR MARKETING

Google reviews have become so ubiquitous and trusted that they're now becoming a filter for all marketing. 

What do you think happens when a patient drives by your practice and says to themself, "They're close; I should check them out." What about when someone opens your print mail piece? How about when they see your billboard? 

It doesn't matter how a potential patient finds out about your practice. It could be through referral marketing, billboards, driving by, or any other marketing initiative, but close to 90% of potential patients will check out your Google review profile before calling your practice. 

If your review profile - for a lack of a better word - sucks, how much marketing investment are you losing? Just listen to what Jessica Schrippia from the #1 Google reviewed practice in America says about it. Or hear what Oscar from Antoine Dental Center did when they got more than 2,000 Google reviews.

WHAT TO DO TO IMPROVE YOUR GOOGLE REVIEW PROFILE?

You need to put a plan together and get some buy-in from your team. An excellent place to start is to set an aggressive goal in a short time frame. 

If you read through the Google review annual report, you'll see how many reviews some of the best practices in the USA have. You'll also be able to see how many reviews practices can acquire in a month. Those stats should help you set a goal. 

Then download this complimentary Google review aggregation campaign. The kit will help you coordinate and get your team on the same page, set a goal, and launch.

I hope this helps and if you have any specific questions, please reach out.

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About the author

Adrian Lefler is a dental marketer and a key member of the dental marketing team at My Social Practice. He has been involved in digital marketing for many years in the dental industry. Adrian has helped thousands of practices grow and thrive through digital marketing. Adrian and his wife Emilie have four children and live in Suncrest, Utah.

Case Planning for Ivotion Digital Implant-Supported Overdenture

Technical treatment planning is a preliminary procedure that demands clinical and technical communication and collaboration. This collaborative analysis of the acquired intra-oral scan data of terminal dentition and soft tissue anatomy is critical to achieving a successful prosthetic outcome.

To achieve optimal outcomes for an edentulous patient, complete digital denture prosthetics should be treatment-planned and designed to replace lost bone, tissue, and dentition while restoring function, aesthetics, and phonetics. Establishing a definitive digital technical treatment plan with case sequencing procedures and appointments creates predictable success with complete prosthetics.

After this prosthetic data analysis, the clinician and technician should have enough information to design provisional and definitive digital dentures to provide the patient with a successful solution.

The prosthetic plan for the presented case is to extract the remaining terminal dentition, then place implants for maxillary and mandibular implant-supported prostheses. This blog offers a unique way to plan prosthetic cases from an Intra-oral scan using STL design files to improve case presentation and communication between dentist and patient.

Prosthetic Problem:

• Decreased Vertical Dimension of Occlusion due to missing maxillary and mandibular anterior and posterior teeth

• Missing anterior maxillary teeth eliminate a reference for tooth size and placement

• A bite scan is taken in centric occlusion at the collapsed vertical dimension of occlusion

• Patient Desires Maxillary and Mandibular Implant-Supported Prostheses

Prosthetic Variables:

• Vertical Dimension of Occlusion

• Maxillary and mandibular relationship

• Incisal edge position

• Prosthetic space

• Implant placement

Prosthetic Design Solutions:

• Increase VDO to an average of 42mm intra-vestibular

• Reduce maxillary and mandibular residual ridges by 4mm anterior and 3mm posterior

• Arrange teeth using existing terminal dentition as reference for tooth placement in design for immediate conversion denture

Fig. 1

The Intra-Oral Scans are received then data is analyzed for the following:

• Soft-tissue anatomy

• Maxillo-mandibular ridge relationship

• Prosthetic Space

• Terminal dentition

• Bone height

Fig. 2

With Prosthetic space analysis, the Vertical Dimension of Occlusion (or inter-residual space) is evaluated to provide adequate space for the definitive digital prosthesis. When re-establishing the VDO or prosthetic space, the inter-residual ridge space must be increased to allow for the design of the acrylic-resin base, implant bar, and denture teeth. According to the intra-vestibular measurement of scans, a 28.49 mm bite scan must be increased to at least 40mm. In design, a 12.50 mm increase is requested, which will provide a 41 mm intra-vestibular ridge relationship.

Fig. 3

In design, model bases (maxillary gold and mandibular silver) are built to Intra-Oral Scan STL files (green).To ensure proper registration between the base and scan, the speckled areas are visible on residual ridges illustrating a good match between data in the scan and base.

Fig. 4

The terminal dentition is virtually extracted with a 4mm anterior and 3mm posterior tissue and bone reduction to create prosthetic space within the intra-residual ridge relationship. For implant-supported prosthetics case planning, 15mm per arch from ridge crest to incisal edge needs to be factored into the design.

Fig. 5

The denture tooth mold is selected. Then, teeth are arranged using terminal dentition (green) and anatomical soft tissue landmarks as a reference or guide for placement of prosthetic tooth arrangement.

Fig. 6

Looking at the maxillary arch from the occlusal perspective, the denture tooth (white) position can be evaluated in relation to the residual ridge and terminal dentition reference (green). Note that the relationship of canine to crown and roots provide symmetry in design for an esthetic/functional arrangement.

Fig. 7

The mandibular arch from an occlusal perspective shows the relationship of posterior denture teeth (white) to the residual ridge crest and terminal dentition reference (green). The middle is maintained and used for maxillary arch anterior tooth arrangement.

Fig. 8

Denture bases are built-in designs with proper gingival contours for margins, interdental papillae, festooning, and border extensions.

This digital workup of intra-oral scans is an excellent and effective tool for case evaluation and patient presentation when transitioning your patient from terminal dentition to complete digital prosthetics.

For more information on this unique digital workflow, contact customer service at Modern Dental USA.

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About the author

Robert Kreyer, CDT is a third-generation Dental Technician who received his training from the US Army Medical Field Service School in 1971. He is a member of the American Prosthodontic Society, a Fellow of The International Congress of Oral Implantologists, and the past Chair of The American College of Prosthodontists Dental Technician Alliance. Mr. Kreyer received certification from Ivoclar Vivadent as a Biofunctional Prosthetic System (BPS) Technical Instructor as well as from Candulor in Zurich, Switzerland as their Course Instructor.

Robert owned and operated Kreyer Dental Prosthetics from the years 1975 to 2010. In 2010, Robert Kreyer was the first recipient of The American College of Prosthodontists Dental Technician Leadership Award. In 2011, he was selected by the National Board of Certification in Dental Technology as their CDT of the Year. In 2014, Robert Kreyer received the Rudd Award from the Editorial Council of The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.  He is currently the Director of Removables Prosthetics at MicroDental Laboratories and Modern Dental USA where he focuses on research and development and digital workflows.

Treatment Planning for Implant Fixed Complete Dentures

Globally complete edentulism varies between regions and countries. More than 240 million patients are partially or completely edentulous (1,2). In the United States, 37 million Americans are edentulous: 26% are between the ages of 65 and 74 (3). Edentulism is more widespread, will remain a challenge, and is a growing public health concern. There is a constant need to restore completely edentulous patients because people live longer. Economically affluent baby boomers account for 20% of the US population, driving future market growth. There will be continued growth of edentulous patients and increased demand for complete dentures in the next 30 years. In 2019 only 314,000 Americans underwent full arch procedures. There is still room for implant fixed complete dentures (IFCD) in our practices. Social media and the internet contribute to the dental education of our patients and make them well-informed about the implant fixed complete denture as a treatment modality. As clinicians, we must follow some guidelines for decision-making to determine if the patient is suitable for such treatment and to ensure the outcome is predictable.

MEDICAL HISTORY

• The diagnosis and treatment planning for implant fixed complete dentures begins with a detailed assessment of each patient's medical history and chief concerns. The patient interview is an integral part of the patient's diagnostic workup. Clinicians should ensure that the general health of every patient undergoing elective implant treatment has been thoroughly assessed, given that such treatment includes both surgical and restorative phases.

• Check the patient vital signs and review the medication and prescriptions. Suppose significant issues are identified in the medical history. In that case, additional medical assessments should be recommended, some of which may warrant laboratory testing (complete blood count, urinalysis, or sequential multiple analysis of the blood work) before treatment is ever initiated.

• Implant dentistry should not be recommended for patients with severe systemic diseases. The primary disease processes that will likely preclude the delivery of dental implant treatment typically are of cardiac or pulmonary origin.

DENTAL HISTORY AND DATA COLLECTION

A patient's dental history, thorough clinical examination, and careful acquisition and evaluation of data that represent the critical findings are needed to arrive at an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan. Examination of the maxillofacial extra-and intra-oral hard and soft tissues, appropriate preliminary impressions, accurate records required to articulate maxillary and mandibular casts, and routine radiographs and photographs represent vital information that should be carefully collected.

The oral hygiene status should be noted along with the periodontal charting. Determining tissue biotype, bone volume, quality, and the impact of the smile line and the lip line on the esthetic prognosis for the proposed prosthesis are other factors to consider when developing an effective treatment plan for an edentulous patient.

• Diagnosis for implant fixed complete dentures for a completely edentulous patient always begins with a thorough clinical extra-and intra-oral examination, a panoramic radiograph, and a Cone Beam Computerized Tomograph (CBCT).

• The occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) should be assessed. Occlusal vertical dimension (OVD) changes are observed when teeth are missing. However, evaluation and re-establishment are sometimes tricky, with variations in the dimension. At times, it is difficult to determine the jaw relationships of edentulous individuals. A wax trial denture ("mock setup"), a complete interim denture, or an immediate complete denture should be fabricated to preview the occlusion, vertical dimension, lip support, and esthetics. This setup also provides valuable information regarding the required space needed for IFCDs

• Check the vertical space available. Vertical space assessment should begin by measuring the distance between the residual ridge crest and the upper lip or lower lip, depending on the treated arch. It is recommended to measure this dimension with the lip at rest and during a maximal smile. It is important to determine if the edentulous ridge is visible during smiling, as this indicates the prosthesis-mucosal junction will be visible. Such visibility can produce an esthetic liability.

There must be sufficient space available for the desired framework, prosthetic teeth, and denture base material to provide adequate strength, sufficient anchorage for the denture teeth, and be esthetically pleasing. Two millimeters of resin denture base thickness over any metal framework is proposed as the minimum thickness for resin base strength. For a metal-ceramic IFCD, the required vertical space is 15-20 mm, and for All-ceramic IFCD, the required vertical space is 14-16 mm.

DIGITAL TREATMENT PLANNING

Recent advances in technology allowed the laboratory to use computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacturing technology (CAD/CAM) to fabricate surgical guides that can be either milled or printed. These recent fabrication techniques of surgical guides use DICOM data (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) from the Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) by importing them into a planning software that allows virtual planning of the implant and the prosthesis. The fabricated guides can be bone supported, mucosa supported, or teeth supported. The guides can be made and the drill holes prepared free-hand, using a milling machine, or using computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD-CAM) technology.

Effective communication is imperative when a team approach that includes multiple practitioners is used. Prior to the treatment plan presentation and informed consent, a consensus should be established between the dental team members, including the laboratory technician. Choosing the proper laboratory is crucial to your success.

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References:

1. Peterson PE et al. Community Dent Health 2010.

2. Moreira Rda S et al. J Appl Oral Sci 2010.

3. US centers for disease control.

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About the author

Dr. Nadim Z. Baba received his DMD degree from the University of Montreal in 1996. He completed a Master’s degree in Restorative Sciences in Prosthodontics from Boston University School of Dentistry in 1999. Dr. Baba serves as a Professor in the Advanced Education Program in Prosthodontics at Loma Linda University School of Dentistry, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Dentistry in the Comprehensive Dentistry Department, and maintains a part-time private practice in Glendale, CA. He is currently the President of the American College of Prosthodontists and has received several honors and awards including The David J. Baraban Award from Boston University, the Claude R. Baker Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching Predoctoral Fixed prosthodontics in 2009 from the AAFP, and the California Dental Association Arthur A. Dugoni Faculty Award in 2010. He published a book entitled “Restoration of Endodontically treated teeth: evidence-based diagnosis and treatment Planning” and has lectured nationally and internationally.

How to Fight Back Against Inflationary Changes in Dentistry (Post-Covid)

We have all experienced unfortunate financial changes in dentistry since the pandemic began. Holes in our schedules, insurance companies decreasing payments, and inflationary increases in supply costs have all affected our bottom line. How do we counter them productively and move our practices forward?

Sadly, supply companies have not always been our friends during the pandemic. We were coerced into buying external suctions and other supplies of questionable value and found ourselves paying over $50.00 for boxes of gloves and $80.00 for twenty masks. Surprisingly, these very same supply companies manufactured those gloves and face-masks in some cases. 

It’s time to fight back! We must discover ways to make our dentistry more efficient, economical, and faster. Thankfully, there are better and easier products out there that are available from our supply companies or directly from the manufacturers themselves.

A not-so-hidden secret is that some more prominent manufacturers have deals with dental schools only to dispense their products. Upon graduation, students tend to flock to the products they are familiar with, and many of them are the most marketed and expensive products available.

Through the Catapult group, the author has been able to sample hundreds of products and found that many small companies have fabulous products that are better, more accessible, and much less expensive than the products many of us use. For example:

1) Dental cement has become MUCH easier:

A new generation of self-etch and RMGI dental cement born during the pandemic are stronger, simpler to apply, and even easier to remove excess. Some are less expensive than the big names too!

2) Single Shade Composites:

One of the best inflation busters to hit dentistry. They can save you a BUNDLE of money and create better restorations than ever before. Which brands work well, which not-so-much?

3) Polishing discs:

There are discs out there that work as well as the most popular brands but are MUCH more economical and have less risk of scratching a restoration.

4) Desensitizers:

You are probably paying ridiculously high prices for a thimble full of liquid when better, AND less expensive options are available.

5) Etchants:

2022 etchants do not seep onto dentin when you don’t want them to-they stay where you put them with far less waste and less expense.

6) Temporary Crowns:

Imagine a provisional that is made to last 2-5 years instead of 2-5 weeks! It feels and works like the others and can be cemented with permanent cement- great for seniors and patients in long-term medical or dental treatment.

7) Impression Materials:

Small companies out there make great products and do not require “middleman” supply companies to bring prices up, which works as well or better than the expensive top sellers

8) Injection Molding:

Hear my words: DO NOT buy the most expensive brands. Two smaller companies rock this great new trend in dentistry, and the results are amazing.

9) NEW Better Zirconias:

What is a 4Y/5Y zirconia, and how does it compare to 3Y/5Y? Is there such a strong thing as zirconia but has good translucency? YES, there is now!

10) Faster Curing Lights:

Is there a 3-second curing light? Yes, BUT it can cure many composites in ONE second! Stay tuned on May 12th.

11) Restoration Cleaners:

Are they necessary? There are two brand new ones you probably haven’t heard of. Are they worth purchasing?

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Learn how to “post-Covid” your practice with the best, most accessible, most efficient, and most economical products you have ever used. Tune in to Tackling a Changed Dental World (Post-Covid Edition) on Thursday night, May 12th, at 7:00 EST.

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About the author

Dr. Peter Auster strives for his seminars to be “uplifting, inspiring, and educational” – as a recent testimonial summarized. He continues thirty-five years of cosmetic and reconstructive dentistry in his private practice in Pomona, NY. Dr. Auster has written dozens of articles for major dental publications. His article, “Groundbreaking Composite Dentistry” was the cover story of Dentistry Today Magazine in February 2019. He is a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists.

Dr. Auster is proud to be a speaker and product reviewer for Catapult Education. He completed two terms on the board of directors of the AACD, was chair of their leadership committee and is currently, the 2022 chairman of their Professional Education Committee. He is a “Dawson Scholar” and received a “Concept of Complete Dentistry Award” from the Dawson Academy.

Dr. Auster is very proud of his selection as an AACD Humanitarian of the Year and his Certificate of International Voluntary Service from the ADA. He is founder and past president of the New York Affiliate of the AACD, the Greater New York Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. Dr. Auster’s volunteer work includes 11 years of volunteer dentistry in Jamaica. He has been voted a “Top Dentist in the Hudson Valley” by his peers for the last 15 years. Dr. Auster is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.

How Dental Practices Can Reduce the Impact of Ransomware

Cyberattacks are continuing at an alarming rate, and we see practices being victimized regularly. Hackers are now encrypting and stealing data, forcing the practice to pay the ransom to avoid having their patient data made public.

In many cases, the owners or managers of a practice do not fully understand the significant operational, financial, emotional, and reputational impacts of a cyberattack. While it is easy to dismiss the potential threats or rely on an IT company, this is often insufficient. IT companies cannot provide the advanced security required to protect healthcare offices from sophisticated hackers.

The moment any staff member connects to the internet, there is an inherent risk. Practice managers often say, “I have multiple local and cloud backups, so if I get hit with ransomware, it will be easy to recover.”

Cybersecurity is not just about recovery. It is about protecting highly confidential practice and patient information. In most of the cyber-attacks we have worked on, the hackers have stolen most or all of the victim’s data and either threatened to release or actually released the data.

Can you afford to close your doors for 2-3 weeks while this is investigated and remediation is performed? Would your practice survive financially, reputationally, and operationally from this type of attack?

Let’s review the top 10 ways you can minimize the chance of attack against your practice.

10. STRONG, UNIQUE PASSWORDS AND PASSWORD MANAGERS

Utilize password management tools to create and manage strong passwords. If you opt not to use a password manager, make sure you create unique passwords for every website and application you use with a minimum of 14 characters, including a combination of numbers, letters, and special characters.

9. MULTI-FACTOR AUTHENTICATION

Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) or Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is a powerful tool that utilizes SMS text messaging or a security APP such as Google Authenticator to validate your login.

8. ENCRYPTING DATA AT REST

A tool such as Microsoft BitLocker can help protect data at rest from exploitation. BitLocker encrypts all the data on your hard drive so that if the device is lost or stolen, a criminal cannot access the contents.

7. ONLINE AND OFFLINE BACKUP PRACTICES SHOULD USE ONLINE AND OFFLINE BACKUPS.

You typically do online backups in the Cloud. Every week, you should copy all your data to an external hard drive and always physically disconnect the hard drive from the network.

6. SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT

A Security Risk Assessment (SRA), conducted by a credentialed security expert, helps a practice identify and understand where it has operational risk.

5. CYBERSECURITY AWARENESS TRAINING

Cybersecurity awareness training empowers all employees to identify and mitigate attacks that occur through phishing, spear phishing, vishing, business email compromise, etc.

4. INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL VULNERABILITY MANAGEMENT

Devices, software, computers, and firewalls all have vulnerabilities (think of these as “unlocked doors and windows” on your network) that hackers can potentially exploit. Firewalls should be scanned at least monthly, and computers scanned daily.

3. PENETRATION TESTING

An ethical hacker, who assumes the role of a criminal, will perform a penetration test, and attempt to breach your network and/or data; this must be conducted at least annually.

2. EXTENDED DETECTION AND RESPONSE (XDR)

XDR software is the next generation of “anti-virus” technology that helps organizations minimize their exposure to cyber events. It typically utilizes Artificial Intelligence (AI) and is designed to act on its own by “killing” malicious code and isolating computers.

1. SEEK A SPECIALIST... NOT A GENERALIST

One of the most significant mistakes practices make is relying on a generalist like an IT company or Managed Service Provider (MSP) for security. Most IT companies and MSPs specialize in building and maintaining networks, not cybersecurity. It would be best if you worked with a cybersecurity specialist with advanced training, tools, and certifications to ensure that your network is properly secured.

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Taking these steps and providing your doctors and staff with the knowledge to identify potential risks can significantly reduce the chances of your practice being the victim of ransomware or a cyberattack

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About the Author

As the CEO and co-founder of Black Talon Security, Gary Salman is dedicated to data security and understanding the latest trends in the industry, particularly as they relate to healthcare. He has decades of experience in software development and computer IT and developed one of the very first Cloudbased healthcare systems.

As a sought-after speaker and writer, Gary also lectures nationally on cybersecurity threats and their impact on the healthcare industry. He has lectured and trained tens of thousands of practices across the U.S. on how to maintain “best practices” in cybersecurity and has been featured in over 70 national publications and news stories in the medical, dental, legal, and financial industries. In addition, Gary has over 17 years as an instructor at West Point and is involved in law enforcement. He is also a member of InfraGard.

Why TikTok and Instagram Reels is the Future of Dental Video Marketing

Everyone in the dental marketing space is talking about dental video marketing. Why? Why is video so crucial in dental marketing efforts? In this post, we'll discuss why video is essential, which software and platforms to use, and we'll give you tons of great dental video ideas and examples. 

In addition, we've created a TikTok and Instagram Reels eBook with even more ideas. No time to waste. Let's get started!

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Why is Video so Flippin' Important?

THE PANDEMIC HAS BEEN VIDEOS' BEST FRIEND

Fig 0. Results of Pandemic

PEOPLE LOVE WATCHING VIDEOS 

According to recent research by Wyzowl, consumers spend an average of 16 hours watching online videos every week, a 52% increase in the last two years. 

Consumers also have reported that they want to watch branded content, and in 2020, 86% of consumers said they'd want to see more videos created by brands. 

Additional research studies support the idea that dental video content is better than other forms of content at educating and attracting consumers. 

Fig 1. Video Content is Awesome Statistics

PATIENTS PREFER VIDEOS OVER OTHER CONTENT 

Videos explain information more quickly, and they also have the ability to relay subtext, irony, humor, and attention-grabbing elements, better than text. You can make almost any topic fun and more interesting with video.

Last year Mark Zuckerberg said…

Fig 2. Zuckerberg Video Content Quote

VIDEOS ARE MORE ENGAGING AND SHAREABLE THAN OTHER CONTENT FORMS

Social media sharing has forever altered digital dental marketing. The value of creating video content that is engaging and shared by your patients online ends up saving you marketing costs over paid advertising. 

You have a choice to either create video content that will be shared online or pay an advertising cost to push non-creative, non-engaging content to the top of a consumer's feed. To be clear, unless you have engaging content, you'll have to pay for people to see it. When you start creating online content, the best of both worlds is, to begin with, great video content and then use paid advertising to help promote. Not the other way around. 

Which Hardware and Software to Use?

Video Hardware: There is absolutely no reason to lug around a high-end digital camera or rent a studio. Your mobile phone camera (if you have a phone that's been purchased in the last few years) will shoot at a resolution well beyond what is required online. 

And let's be honest, you've got so much on your plate that you probably don't have time to do much more than pull your phone out of your pocket and shoot something on the fly. 

Video Software: You're not going to need intense editing software. The video editors in Instagram, Tiktok, Facebook, and Youtube have all the options that you're going to need. 

Which Distribution Channels Should You Use?

You want to distribute your content on the platforms that your local community is using. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube are the best places to start. 

Did I just hear someone say, 'What about Twitter and Pinterest?’

Twitter is more of a news outlet. Think about it. Do you go to Twitter to find information about a local small business? The same goes for Pinterest. Although I would say that behind the four platforms I've mentioned above, Pinterest would be my fifth favorite distribution channel.

How to Begin With Video Dental Marketing?

Let's Start with Instagram

Instagram is definitely a place you want to focus on. Many practices focus on Instagram over Facebook, although we recommend publishing to both platforms. 

There are a few ways to post on Instagram.

INSTAGRAM FEED POSTS

Visually tell your practice story and showcase your team, patients, and services. Inspire potential patients to connect with your practice.

Fig 3. Instagram Feed Posts

INSTAGRAM STORIES

Allows you to share moments from your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. Multiple photos and videos appear together in a slideshow format title, your story. They disappear in 24 hours. 

Fig 4. Instagram Stories

INSTAGRAM LIVE

Allows you to broadcast to your followers in real-time. They are used by more than 100 million people a day.

Fig 5. Instagram Live

INSTAGRAM REELS

Reels are short, entertaining videos that allow you to express your practice culture, creativity, and brand. 

Fig 6. Instagram Reels

Now Let's Take a Look at TikTok

TikTok is a rising star in social media platforms and, according to some reports, the fastest growing social media app. It's built a massive database of users and managed not to be clobbered or bought by Facebook (Meta). Take a look at the active users on Tiktok.

Fig 7. Active Users on TikTok

Here is the increase in app downloads over time.

Fig 8. TikTok App Downloads

TikTok is a short-form video-sharing application. It allows you to make quick 60 second videos about your practice culture, team, patients, and oral education. 

Fig 9. What is TikTok

TikTok and Instagram are All the Rage, but Don't Forget About Facebook.

Almost everyone has a Facebook page. It's a stalwart in dental social media marketing. Routinely we see client practices effectively find new patients with Facebook. 

There are a few ways that you can publish videos on Facebook. 

FACEBOOK COVER PHOTO

Unlike your profile picture, your Facebook cover photo is a large banner graphic across the top of your page and appears on your timeline. They also allow you to upload a video here, which is a great place to make a good first impression. 

Fig 10. Facebook Cover Photo

FACEBOOK FEED POSTS

Feed posts are a constant update section of photos and videos on your Facebook homepage. You want to post custom, authentic content to your feed.

Fig 11. Facebook Feed Posts

FACEBOOK STORIES

A great way to connect with your followers and share photos and short videos. 

Fig 12. Facebook Stories

FACEBOOK LIVE

Live allows you to live stream, and anyone can watch via phone, computer, or connected TV.

Fig 13. Facebook Live

What About Youtube Shorts?

Recently Youtube Shorts was launched; this is not the material covering your thighs. Youtube Shorts is a short form, a vertical video platform that allows anyone to create content with their smartphone. 

Fig 14. What is YouTube Shorts

YOUTUBE AND SEO

Most of your potential patients don't go to Youtube to learn about your practice. So, building an audience here may not be the best use of your time.

However, Youtube is owned by Google, and Google controls more than 90% of all search traffic. And guess what, Youtube short videos can show up in the search results. 

So if you want to be found in a Google search, using Youtube Shorts is a great idea. It's super helpful in ranking higher and more often in search results. 

Here are 5 Short-Form Video Ideas that You Can Post Online Today!

1. Did You Know? - Share a dental-related fact and do it in an entertaining way.

@doctorgao Are you using the right amount of toothpaste? #dentist #dental #dentistry #tiktokguru #youngcreators #learnontiktok #edutok #teeth #foryou ♬ Mad at Disney - salem ilese

2. A Day In The Life - Show behind-the-scenes transparency of what you do every day for your patients.

@jenniferflippin ♬ Good Day - Nappy Roots

3. Lip Sync - Have a little fun by showing your practice's playful side.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Sanders, DDS, MS (@placervilleortho)

4. Show A Procedure - Use quick cuts and timelapse videos to explain a lengthy procedure quickly.

@juliedavisdds Delivering a smile makeover! Comment with any questions you have! #smilemakeovers #cosmeticdentist #fullmouthrehab ♬ Ocean - MBB

5. Before And Afters - Overlay a song where you can cut from the before to the after on the beat drop.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Sanders, DDS, MS (@placervilleortho)

Need Help With Your Video Marketing?

Our partner My Social Practice has a great team of outstanding dental video marketers and trending ideas to help you stay on top of your marketing. If you'd like to learn more about video marketing, you can contact them HERE or ask them to host an education webinar.

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About the Author

Blake Hadley is President at My Social Practice. He’s a graduate of the advertising program at Brigham Young University and has won a number of national and international awards in art direction, advertising, and creative marketing strategy. He is passionate about helping dental practices (and businesses) use out-of-the-box thinking to create stories that spread online.

To Bond or Not to Bond

To bond or not to bond, that is the question. A 200 US private practice dentists study reported that 38% of their crowns were bonded with resin cement, whereas the remainder were cemented with RMGI cement (Lawson JADA 2019). How do you determine which crowns should be bonded? In the study, the most significant predictor of which crowns were bonded was the type of crown material used. 70% of lithium disilicate crowns were bonded, and only 30% of zirconia and 16% of porcelain-fused-to-metal crowns were bonded. Another way to determine which crowns are bonded would be to bond crowns that need additional retention or strength reinforcement.

First, clarification should be provided as to the advantage of bonding. Bonding implies a chemical link between the crown material and a resin cement using a ceramic/metal primer (i.e., silane, 10-MDP, etc.). Additionally, bonding implies that either the cement or a tooth primer hybridizes with the dentin surface to provide a strong bond between the tooth and the resin cement. As a result, the crown material is adhesively bonded to the tooth to resist lateral forces (resistance form) and tensile forces (retention form). The crown is also reinforced as an adhesive bond that allows occlusal forces to be transferred from the crown material to the underlying tooth.  

Perhaps the most obvious need for bonding is when performing veneers, as the resin cement not only creates retention and reinforcement but also allows esthetic benefits. Resin cements are available in a range of shades and translucencies, which allows color modification of the veneers; these shades can be previewed with try-in pastes. Additionally, light-cured resin cements are preferred for veneer cementation as they are more color stable and allow an increased working time.

Full-coverage crowns can also benefit from bonding if they lack adequate height or possess too much taper. Traditional prosthodontic literature (Weed JPD 1984) suggests that premolars should be prepared to a height of 3mm, and molars should be prepared to a height of 4mm to possess adequate resistance form. This height is recommended as it helps prevent buccal-lingual rotation of the crown. 

In other words, a molar with a 10mm occlusal table that is rotated on the preparation in the buccal direction would be stopped by a 4mm tall lingual wall. Similarly, a premolar with a 6mm occlusal table would be stopped by a 3mm tall lingual wall. If the tooth preparations are shorter than these recommendations, bonding the crowns will help prevent dislodgement. For short clinical crowns, resistance form can also be improved by adding proximal grooves; however, decreasing the taper of the cervical portion of the crown preparation is more effective at improving resistance form (Roudsari JPD 2011). 

Bonding crowns can also improve their retention. Using resin cement allowed three times the retention of a glass ionomer cement with lithium disilicate crowns (Mobilio Materials 2015). In another study, an auto-mixed resin cement produced twice the retention of an auto-mixed RMGI cement with zirconia crowns (however, the same RMGI material produced similar retention as the resin cement if hand-mixed) (Lepe JPD 2021). When comparing the bond to lithium disilicate and zirconia in laboratory studies, a similar bond strength is achieved with both materials assuming proper bonding protocol (etching an silane for lithium disilicate and sandblasting and 10-MDP for zirconia) (Kwon JPD 2018). However, many clinicians may feel more confident in the bond with lithium disilicate as the bond to glass-like materials (i.e., lithium disilicate, feldspathic porcelain) has a longer clinical track record than bonding to zirconia.

The other rationale for bonding ceramic materials is to reinforce their strength. The decision to bond a crown based on strength reinforcement is based on the restorative material and its thickness. 

For example, the manufacturers of one lithium disilicate material (IPS e.max) recommend a minimal restoration thickness of 1mm if the crown is bonded and 1.5mm if the crown is cemented with a glass-ionomer-based cement. For zirconia, the manufacturer’s recommendations range between 0.6-1mm restoration thickness regardless if bonded or not. The strength of different types of zirconia (3Y, 4Y, and 5Y) can vary significantly (decrease in strength from 3Y to 5Y). For the more translucent zirconia materials (4Y and 5Y), a restoration of thickness of 1.2mm may be necessary (Abdulmajeed J Prosth 2020). Both traditional (3Y) and translucent (5Y) zirconia show improvements in strength from RMGI cementation to bonding with a resin cement (Lawson J Prosth 2019).     

In conclusion, bonding should be performed for all non-retentive preparations and should be considered for short or over-tapered preparation. All lithium disilicate restorations thinner than 1.5mm should be bonded. 4Y and 5Y zirconia may be bonded (particularly if the restoration is thinner than 1.2mm). 3Y zirconia typically does not require bonding. However, in this author’s opinion, it should be considered at restoration thicknesses below 1mm.

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About the author:

Nathaniel Lawson, DMD, PhD

Dr. Lawson, is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. He has served as an investigator on over 50 clinical and laboratory research grants, and published over 150 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 3M Innovative Research Fellowship both from the American Dental Association. He serves on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and Compendium. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.

The Importance of Optimizing Your Dental Practice’s Website

Why is a website so essential for a dental practice? What should such a website have? This guide answers these important questions that can help you grow your dental practice.

A website for your dental practice helps create an informative and engaging online presence. It will create an online platform where your existing and potential patients can interact with you. Your website can provide information about the services you offer, a story about your practice, team images, technology, amenities and more. It can also provide key information about making appointments, insurance, and payment options. A well-designed dental website can function as a digital bridge connecting patients to the practice.

Importance of a Website for Dental Practices

Your dental practice's website is the foundation of your online presence. Such a website is the first place where potential patients learn about your practice. An ideal website must contain information such as service explanations, patient reviews, testimonial videos, and team bios. An ideal website also must provide visitors with an accessibility menu. 

Dental practices with high-quality, well-structured websites generate more traffic than those with ordinary websites. A great website has all the right elements. It is search engine optimized to make it easy for the target audience to find it, structured properly and hosts important or intriguing information to keep them on the web pages for long, and the right inspiration to get them to take the desired action. A well-designed website that is easy to maneuver can help your practice stand out from the crowd.

What Makes a Potentially Successful Dental Practice Website?

There is a plethora of factors that come together to create a website that is effective in driving more patients to your dental practice. I have highlighted seven of the most principal factors below:

1. Information

Your website must provide a respective service page for each treatment you offer. These pages will provide information to your potential patients, alongside helping you rank for the targeted keywords. Highlight your USPs and amenities that encourage people to book an appointment.

The service pages can serve many purposes:

• Answering the questions people have about your treatment services

• Allowing visitors to make informed decisions about your dental practice

• Include photos and videos of each service

• Helps search engines crawl more keywords and recommend you faster.

Quality Content

Quality content is vital to the success of your dental website. While providing key information to visitors is one aspect of content, ranking high on search engines is another. Even when most patients are not going to read your web content, search engines crawl your pages and display recommendations in their results.

• Your content must connect with your prospective patients.

• It must provide valuable information.

• Since visitors scan through the text, it is important to provide clear and concise content that is right to the point.

• High-quality content on a dental practice's website demonstrates expertise.

• Quality content has a greater chance of producing good ROI by drawing more patients to your practice. Think of it as a pre-sale scanner.

2. Testimonials that Build Authority

Make sure to highlight testimonials from satisfied patients on your website. They function as valid and real-life proofs that your dental practice delivers on its promises of quality dental care. When it is your patients in comparison to you talking about the quality service, gentle care, and amazing results that your practice offers, there is a greater chance people will trust the info.

3. Position Strategic Conversion Buttons

Every page on your website must have a compelling call-to-action (CTA) asking your visitors to book an appointment or make a call. These CTA buttons should be strategically located. In other words, they should be readily visible, ideally above the fold and in colors that draw immediate attention.

Request Appointments Online Buttons

Let your visitors book an online appointment. It is a convenient process, and you would be surprised to know that most patients expect such an option. It will be good if you provide them with the option to fill out the paperwork even before arriving at your practice. Online appointments, online paperwork, and text reminders can go a long way in increasing your patient numbers and minimizing no-shows and cancellations. It is also important to optimize your CTAs and online appointments for mobile users. 

4. A Well-Structured Website

If you want your dental website to help your practice, make sure it is well-structured. It must have the right pages in the right place. A thorough website for a dental practice must have the following pages or sections:

• Home Page

• About Us

• Services (One page per treatment)

• Reviews

• Location Pages (If you have multi-location practices)

• Insurance Details

• Contact Us

Several other elements need to work together to create a well-structured website and do its desired job well. This includes:

• A menu easy to navigate (UX Friendly)

• Text and graphics that work together

• Responsive web images

• Authentic about us page

• Rich keyword content

The most important part is your home page. This page needs to be a summary of all your website pages. 

5. Personalized Branding

People believe what they see. And your website is a wonderful place for personalized branding and showing your practice, team, and premises. Create eye-catching images and videos to bring your website to life. These elements will help create positive first impressions, thus drawing more new patients. Pictures and videos of your doctors and staff provide your potential patients an insight into your dental practice's work culture. Photos of your practice exteriors, interiors, and technology can further help them visualize what to expect when they are here.

When it comes to a dental practice, the story of visual content does not stop there. The right before-and-after photos can have a compelling effect on the visitors, demonstrating the work you do. It is recommended to add authentic pictures of your work that tell a story to your patients. 

• Before and after pictures are popular, as they make it easier for patients to imagine their results. It is important to have high-quality and well-taken images. Do not expect quality patients wanting a complete set of veneers by having a before and after photo taken with an old phone camera and extremely low resolution.

The use of pictures also helps break up blocks of text. It creates an instant story, as a photo speaks a thousand words.

6. Share the Story Behind Your Brand

The importance of a great About Us page has been emphasized above. People love the 'why' or the story behind a business. A dental practice with an amazing story has the potential to win over its audience while raising its brand value. So, make sure to embellish your story on the About Us page. It can make a substantial difference. 

When done right, storytelling can do wonders for your dental practice. It can help:

• Develop a robust marketing strategy

• Turn a business name into a brand and a legacy

• Earn loyalty and audiences' affection

• Drive profits

And achieve much more. A brand story also simplifies any confusion about the vision and conveys your practice's purpose to the world.

7. Create a Dedicated Insurance Page

Many dental websites will list the names of the insurance networks to which they are connected. I recommend going a step further and include useful FAQs on the insurance page. Answer questions about what you think patients must know more about. 

Importance of Using Patient Psychology

Psychology plays a significant role in web design and content. The use of certain psychological triggers can help influence patient choices. This can further help in creating better ROI. It is recommended to use the following techniques and effects as part of the overall design and content to achieve the desired results:

• Plan the navigation menu to put the most important links near the start

• Outline all the major benefits

• Optimize your page content

• Use the Von Restorff Effect to make your visitors remember the things that stand out. Emphasize the CTA buttons and the services you want to promote first.

• Use the Zeigarnik Effect to motivate visitors to complete the tasks they didn't finish the last time. This includes completing a sign-up process, returning for more information, or filling up a form. Show a progress bar, offer incentives, or inform about irreversible changes.

A well-designed dental practice website must include the right psychological triggers to drive action from your potential patients. 

These small tips will help you understand how your marketing team should structure and develop your website.

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About the author:

Cesar Navarro
CEO at Geek Dental Marketing

Cesar Navarro, MS, is presently the Marketing Director & CEO of Geek Dental Marketing®, a marketing, development, and technology company for dental offices. With the vision to grow practices, improve management and visibility online, Cesar launched a full marketing company that focuses solely on dentistry to help dentists stand out from the crowd. Cesar holds over ten years of experience in the dental marketing field. He has also served as a group practice administrator and treatment coordinator, where he began his journey and passion for dentistry. Before dentistry, Cesar served as an NCO in the United States Army for several years, where he gathered many skills that most marketers lack. Combining all his skills like attention to detail and experiences, he has presented several CE courses to help dentists globally, such as “Leadership in a Dental Office,” “Branding Mastery Course,” “The How Much Patient? Converting & Selling”, “A New Era: Social Media Marketing,” and many more, and with it thousands of hours as a practice marketing consultant.

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