dental videos Archives - The Wealthy Dentist

Dental Survey: Lead is the Number One Dentist Concern (video)

August 18, 2019 By Jim Du Molin

Mercury and Fluoride, two chemicals that can be highly toxic, or highly helpful to dental health.

Lead and Bisphenol A, two more scary chemicals that might be in our dental work. It’s enough to make you wonder whether dentists might sometimes be doing more harm than good.

What’s worse, the scientific evidence isn’t clear.

Sighed one dentist, “I’d like to be doing all gold restorations.”

Another dentist commented, “I feel it’s ironic that some patients don’t want ‘artificial chemicals’ in their mouth and decline the natural elements in amalgam in favor of the complex chemistry of composites!”

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey of dentists asking how concerned they are about various potential public health threats linked to chemicals in dentistry.

Click on Play to hear what chemicals concern dentists the most —

What dental chemicals concern you?

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: Amalgam, dental survey, dental videos, dentist, dentistry, dentists, mercury, survey, video marketing

Cosmetic Dentistry Tops The List As Most Popular Dental Practice Service (Video)

August 18, 2019 By Jim Du Molin

In addition to family and general dentistry, most dental practices provide additional types of dentistry.

Dental implants, cosmetic dentistry, and braces are some of the many services dentists offer.

“We offer a very wide range of services for a general dentist: Invisalign, sedation dentistry, dental implant placement & restoration, CEREC, most Endo, Perio, and Oral Surgery. Without this broad offering, we would be doing much worse financially,” said a Minnesota dentist.

“More than half of our practice is dental implants now,” said a California dentist.

We conducted a survey asking dentists which services their dental practice offers.

Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey discuss the vareity of services that dentists offer:

What are the most popular dental services offered?

Besides general and family dentistry, cosmetic dentistry is number one. In fact, 86% of dentists responding to this survey offer cosmetic treatment.

Over 70% of dentists also mentioned tooth whitening, dental implants and crowns, dentures, and children’s dentistry.

Over half of dentist respondents also offer root canal therapy and treat gum disease.

What types of dentistry are less commonly offered?

Just under half of respondents mentioned TMJ, Invisalign, and wisdom teeth. Only one in three offers sedation dentistry, and one in four provide orthodontics or treat sleep apnea.

It’s important that dentists consider the types of treatment they offer when creating a dental marketing plan.

“In our litigious society it is better to refer anything that can be done better by a specialist, including molar endo. It is not worth the trouble, and the patients will love you for referring. You lose patients on whom you do extractions – trust me, that is spoken with 50 years’ experience,” said a New York dentist.

“Oral conscious sedation is great combination with CEREC users – one appointment dentistry while sedated,” said an Oklahoma dentist.

“An oversupply of orthodontists and general dentists doing braces and other orthodontic procedures will mean more competition for the few patients considering treatment,” said a Wisconsin orthodontist.

“I have been teaching and doing Botox injections for over 7 years. Where else can one earn about $500 profit in under 5 minutes? Cosmetics pays,” said a New Jersey dentist.

Jim thinks dentists should offer services that, number one, patients are interested in, and number two, that the dentist likes providing.

“To me, those are the two essential elements of a successful dentist: making a profit – and enjoying yourself while you do so,” said Jim.

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: Cosmetic Dentistry, dental practice marketing, dental videos

Dental Practice Management: Do You Have a Financial Arrangements Coordinator? (Video)

August 18, 2019 By Jim Du Molin

A Financial Arrangements Coordinator can be a valuable asset to the dental practice management team.

This key position is responsible for all financial interactions with the patient, from treatment plan to dental financing and payment options.

“It is a complete necessity to have someone who is ultimately responsible and the ‘go-to’ person for all financial arrangements, especially patient interaction,” said a Michigan dentist.

“Having a financial arrangements coordinator is probably a great idea for larger multi-dentist offices, but I find it is not likely to be cost-effective in a smaller practice,” said a general dentist.

Jim Du Molin and Julie Frey chat about this survey asking dentists if they have a Financial Arrangements Coordinator on their dental practice team:

Jim, a former dental practice consultant, thinks it’s a good idea to have an employee dedicated to managing financial arrangements.

Dentists seem to be split. Of those who responded to this survey, 55% do not have a financial arrangement coordinator, and 45% do employ a team member to carry out this function.

Although it’s not feasible for every practice, there are many benefits to having a dedicated “money person.”

“I have one designated team member to make financial arrangements, but occasionally another member has to step in due to the primary being out of the office for various reasons,” said a Nevada dentist.

“We estimate insurance benefits, and receive the patient’s portion on the date services are provided. Other than that, the only other financial arrangement we offer is through Care Credit. Our receptionist comfortably handles this as part of her duties,” said an Illinois dentist.

“I wish everyone would just pay at the time of service!” said a California dentist.

“We have only one person, and no one else discusses money. That way it stays simple, and patients can’t say someone told them something different,” said an Oklahoma dentist.

The bottom line is that handling financial arrangements effectively can have a positive impact on the practice’s revenue.

It can increase case acceptance, and free up the dentist’s time treat more patients instead of talking about money.

Filed Under: Dental Videos Tagged With: dental pracice management, dental videos

Dental Marketing Can Bring Lots of New Patients (video)

August 18, 2019 By Jim Du Molin

Dental marketing programs can bring lots of new dental patients to a doctor’s office.

However, some dentists can’t help but feel dirty about marketing themselves and their dental practices.

As one dentist pointed out, “A restaurant can’t say, ‘We won’t do marketing because we just want to cook good food for people.'”

Sighed a prostodontist, “Marketing is a necessary evil.”

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey asking dentists if dental marketing is part of their job.

Click on Play to hear how dentists answered this question —

What are your thoughts on dental marketing for your dental practice?

Filed Under: Dental Videos, The Wealthy Dentist Tagged With: Dental Marketing, dental practice marketing, dental videos, dentist, dentistry, dentists, marketing, survey, survey video, video marketing, videos

What Do Dentists Think About Using Amalgam? (Video)

August 18, 2019 By Jim Du Molin

One of the biggest controversies in dentistry is about the use of amalgam.

Some dentists think it’s a great material for filling cavities, but others worry about its possible toxicity.

“I haven’t placed an amalgam in over 25 years,” said a Kentucky dentist.

“I live in rural America, and crowns are not financially feasible for many; so I shovel a lot of alloy!” said a Wisconsin dentist.

Jim and Julie report on a survey asking dentists how frequently they place amalgams.

Our past surveys at The Wealthy Dentist have consistently shown dentists split down the middle on the topic of placing amalgam.

Some things never change. Doctors are still split on the issue. In this survey, 58% of dentist respondents indicated that they still place amalgam restorations, while 42% do not.

How frequently are dentists placing amalgams?

Well, 27% said they place multiple amalgams per day, another 19% do at least one a week, and 12% only do a handful each year.

“I stopped using amalgam about 2 years ago. I do NOT believe it is a health risk, but I believe that composites have improved to the point that they are very serviceable – and of course look much better!” said a New York dentist.

“Amalgam still has a place in dentistry,” declared an Illinois dentist.

“According to some reports 1/3 of the restorations placed in this country are amalgams.”

“We have better materials. We don’t need to use a restorative that was developed in the 1890’s just because it’s easier and cheaper,” said a general dentist. “If it were introduced as a new material today it would never make it or even be allowed. It just doesn’t make sense to use it. Yes, they mostly last ‘forever,’ but at the expense of the tooth.”

“Any dentist still placing silver amalgams is an idiot. It has nothing to do with the material, but the public’s perception of its dangers,” said a general dentist.

That’s a valuable perspective. We could argue the science all day long – but what about the dental marketing aspects?

Just the language you use affects how your patients will react to amalgam restorations. Most dentists call them “silver fillings,” but I know of at least one doctor who refers to them as “mercury-containing fillings.”

It’s not just a matter of the dentist’s personal preference. It’s also about the patient’s preference, cosmetics and finances.