So many dentists have been asking us, “How are the teams you’ve been working with managing this crisis? It seems as though they have persevered in the face of so many challenges. What’s the secret?”

I spent a few minutes sitting down with Kirk this week, asking him some questions about what has made so many dentists and teams successful in this crazy year! Short answer, they made the decision to opt out of the pandemic mindset and stayed focused on progress.  

Jenni: Thanks for spending this time with me, Kirk. So let’s jump right in. While some offices have been slowing down, others have consistently stayed busy and are even growing. What do you attribute that to?

Kirk: In coaching dental practices throughout the country, it seems like even now, in pandemic times, people are subscribing to one of two mindsets; one is a mindset where they're fearful, and the other is the growth mindset. We teach about the importance of this growth mindset in...

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Our guest on this episode of the Best Practices Show podcast is Dr. Scott MacLean. Scott lives in Nova Scotia and he has harnessed digital platforms to position himself as a thought leader in the dental industry, traveling all over the world to speak on guided surgery. A lifelong learner, he is always eager to pass along new knowledge that will help fellow dentists, and one of the main outlets for this knowledge exchange is the Seattle Study Club, which hosts an annual symposium that is a must for any clinician looking to advance their practice.

Scott talks with Kirk about the different methods of guided surgery (dynamic and template-guided) and the various ways that technology is integrated into the process to ensure the proper placement of implants. He also discusses the responsibility that dentists should feel to care for their patients holistically, taking a thorough look...

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On this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk and co-host Kevin spend time with Dr. John Cranham, a full-time dentist and also a lecturer, to discuss the digital dilemma, the transition and cost of going digital in dentistry. John begins by addressing the reason for going digital. The hope in going digital is that your quality and your efficiency will improve once you make the transition. He emphasizes that all of the technological advancements make this is an exciting time to be in the field of dentistry.

One important point John makes in regard to the digital transition and advancements, is how important analog experience is. The ultimate work that is done in dentistry is analog work and the former way of taking molds and doing models gave you practice that prepared you for the work to be done in the dental procedures but doing scans and models digitally, takes away that opportunity. 

John goes on to share that there...

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In this episode of The Best Practices Show, host Kirk and co-host Kevin sit down with Dr. Drew Ferris. Drew is an orthodontist who specializes in Invisalign. Initially, Drew, who will be a keynote speaker, describes the Seattle Study Club Symposium. The Seattle Study Club is one of the best resources for learning about dentistry. Drew has a chapter in Santa Barbra where they meet about nine times a year and bring in speakers to educate the providers, and therefore better the dental care their community receives.  

Drew goes on to talk about the importance of transitioning from analog to digital, given the digital culture we live in today. He compares braces to an analog experience and Invisalign to a digital experience. He shares ways that he has gone digital in his practice, including online exams and consultations. Drew also shares that going digital enables his...

Speaking in certainties has become difficult lately. One of the few things I can say with confidence is I don’t know what tomorrow will bring. While this has always been true, the past months have amplified this reality. Coming face to face with this begs the question, how does a true leader grapple with the unknown while simultaneously stepping up and providing the clarity and safety a team needs to stay aligned and engaged? 

Here at ACT, we have always helped leaders build cultures filled with committed and engaged team members. We know the real advantage this provides. Recently, we have seen some individuals forget about the importance of fostering high employee engagement, and with good reason; the challenges and decisions we all face seem never to end. Yet as I sat back, listening during our weekly team meeting to the questions, ideas, and struggles that our team has been working through, I was reminded of something.  An engaged team brings a commitment to each...

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On this episode of The Best Practices Show, Kirk and Kevin spend time talking with Dr. Joshua Austin. Initially, Josh points out that he strives to always be authentic because he doesn’t want others to think that he’s anything other than a normal comprehensive dentist. It’s easy to look at social media and assume that because you aren’t doing big complex cases, that you aren’t a good dentist and Josh encourages listeners that this isn’t true.

Josh goes on to explain that comprehensive dentistry should be a goal for everyone. For the sake of your patients, you want to be able to offer those services to them. Both Josh and Kevin recommend educational courses as a way to work towards comprehensive dentistry. Additionally, they emphasize the importance of having a mentor. In regard to the cost of continuing education, such as Seattle Study...

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Dr. Bill Robbins - General Dentist in San Antonio, Texas that has a "very rich life" that has still had his fair share of challenges. He has published over 80 articles, abstracts, and chapters on a wide range of dental subjects and has coauthored a textbook, Fundamentals of Operative Dentistry – A Contemporary Approach. He recently co-authored a new textbook, Global Diagnosis – A New Vision of Dental Diagnosis and Treatment Planning.

Contacts: www.stoneoakaesthetics.com 

Global Diagnosis Study Club - https://www.actdental.com/gde-home  (Meeting almost every Friday from 9-11 am EST)

Dr. Kevin Groth - General Dentist in Detroit, Michigan who considers both Kirk and Dr. Robbins as mentors as leaders that have guided his life over the past number of months during these COVID challenges. His favorite part of being a dentist is that every day and every patient is different.

Contacts: www.grothdental.com 

The...

Having a great business? Hard. Building a great team? Also hard. Putting those two together? Incredibly hard.

That’s why believe everyone should have a coach.

Here at ACT Dental, we walk that talk. Yes, even a coaching company has a coach.

We recently had our coach spend some time with us at the office. It was an incredible experience. With our coach’s help, we were able to:

• Consolidate and present everything we’re currently doing
• Clarify the goals and the vision for this year
• Define useful metrics
• Outline the strategy to achieve our goals

We’re an entire office full of coaches, but we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the same results by ourselves. That’s because we’re so close to the work that it’s hard for us to see the big picture. Goal setting becomes much easier when you have an outsider helping you sort the pieces. It’s even better when that person has experienced the same challenges that your team is...

Your single most important competitive advantage is your core values. Your core values are even more important than your vision. They guide the behaviors of everything that happens at your practice.

Consider the circle of people you surround yourself with, both personally and professionally. Your favorite people care about the same things that you care about. Your least favorite people don’t care about the same things that you care about. It all comes back to core values.

You’re probably thinking, “Of course my practice has core values. We’ve even discussed them as a team.” That’s a great start, but ask yourself the following questions:

• Are your core values written for the team to see?
• Are your core values a living part of your practice?
• Do you reinforce your core values every single day as you work?
• Do you use your core values to evaluate your behavior and your strategy?

When the answer is a clear “yes,” you will attract the...