Dental Entrepreneur - Spring 2022

T H E F U T U R E O F D E N T I ST RY

SPRING 2022

My Story

Dr. Arash Hakhamian

When One Plus One Doesn’t Equal Two Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman

8 Ways to Crush Dental School Dr. David Rice

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Welcome Spring 2022 Editor & Publisher Anne M. Duffy, RDH Assistant Editor Julia Anabo Marketing Redwood Designs Project Manager Kudakwashe Mhundwa Website Bhakti Kulmala Director of Strategic Partnerships Sarah Woods National Sales Michelle Watkins, RDH Editorial Board Mary Fisher-Day Travis Rodgers Barb Stackhouse Dr. Lucas Shapiro Dr. Dirk Fleischman Dr. Earl Douglas Dr. Tom Snyder Derek Champange Dr. David Rice Layout and Design Brian Rummel Cover Photography HEIKE WITZGALL Spring 2022 Contributors Dylan E. Drozdowicz Dr. Trent Finley Dr. Arash Hakhamian Eric Hubbard Janis Jarvis Matthew Jarvis Bryton Nield Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman Dr. David Rice Travis Rodgers Andre Santos Dr. Luke Shapiro Robert Spiel Editorial Office 12233 Pine Valley Club Drive Charlotte, NC 28277 704/953-0261 Fax 704/847-3315 anneduffyde@gmail.com Send materials to: Dental Entrepreneur Magazine 8334 Pineville Matthews Road Ste. 103-201 Charlotte, NC 28226

The Future of Dentistry depends on us! As we head into the next season, keep this in mind as you build your skills and create the vision for your life as a dental professional.

Wherever you are in your career, we plan to share stories and reflections that will make you think outside of your box and help you grow into a long-lasting and fulfilling career.

When a road is blocked, change course. Our cover doc, Dr. Arash Hakhamian, is an excellent example of pivoting.

He keeps his eye on the future and asks the question, “Can we do better?”

David Rice tells us how to crush dental school by surrounding yourself with success, keeping your eye on the prize, and more. Eric Hubbard and Andre Santos discuss how they built their dream team. Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman shows us the benefit of examining how our experiences differ. Dr. Trent Finley provides tangible methods to overcome our challenges. Robert Spiel and Bryton Nield discuss why most associate relationships fail and how to turn this around. And more!

Please read this edition cover to cover. It speaks to all seasons of your career and shows the possibilities to create, not only in the operatory but also for the industry.

Also, we’re thrilled to announce the launch of The Future of Dentistry Podcast! Please enjoy our first episode: Being a Strong Mentor with Dirk Fleischman, DDS. Dr. Fleischman is a mentor to many, and works to bridge the gap between experienced dental professionals, and future dental professionals.

Thank you all for being a part of the future of dentistry!

Contents SPOTLIGHT

6 My Story Dr. Arash Hakhamian

CULTURE 10 Bringing Big League Marketing Tactics to Dental Eric Hubbard and Andre Santos 14 When One Plus One Doesn’t Equal Two Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman

BUSINESS 16 Ending the Dental Divorce Cycle Robert Spiel, MBA & Bryton Nield 18 To DSO or Not to DSO: That is the Question Matthew and Janis Jarvis 20 Succeeding With Implementing New Technology in Your Dental Practice Travis Rodgers

INNOVATION 24 Is $200 Million Annually Wasted on Orthodontic Patient NonCompliance a Thing of the Past With This New Consumer Dental Device?

Dylan E. Drozdowicz

LAUNCHPAD 26 Weighing in With Abdullah Al Qaraghuli Dr. Luke Shapiro

IMPACT 28 Reaching for the Power Within Dr. Trent Finley 32 8 Ways to Crush Dental School Dr. David Rice

Spotlight

My Story Dr. Arash Hakhamian

I

am the CEO of Dentulu and here is my story. I grew up in a diehard dental family. My father, brother, mother, and sister are all currently licensed dental professionals and the one brother who went into veterinarian medicine does more dental work on animals than most dentists dream of doing in a lifetime. Needless to say, dentistry runs in our family’s genes.

When I was in my last year of high school, I was a three-sport varsity athlete and I genuinely believed I was going to end up being the first Iranian immigrant to play in either the NBA or NFL. One day, my worried parents sat me down and had an intervention. I was given an ultimatum and 4 options as to my future career. Option 1: become a dentist, Option 2: become a dental specialist, Option 3: be a dental professor or Option 4: accept homelessness, as I would likely be disowned and an embarrassment to the entire family (typical semi-joking motivational speech given by most Iranian immigrant parents). We laughed and cried and argued and hugged and ultimately it was our discussions that then led me to one of my first career epiphanies…I was going to be a dentist.

With my athletic career ending in high school, the competitive spirit and eagerness to push the limits garnered in athletics shifted towards my future career in dentistry. While at UCLA, I tried to tackle the issue of oral health disparities among the underserved and homeless communities. For an entire year, I led an IRB approved study where we visited homeless shelters, hangouts, and community centers observing, interviewing, and evaluating why our homeless populations had such extremely poor oral health and what we can do to address it. We published and presented

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these findings with the UCLA Anthropology department, and we were able to positively impact how policy makers see and address these ongoing issues. It was then that I had another epiphany and realized that a significant portion of the homeless population consisted of battered women and children as well as others who were highly educated and very aware of the importance of oral health. This was not just a drug or awareness issue, the problem was simply a limitation of access to dentists, to preventative dental services, to bathrooms where they can brush, and a severe limitation to water or water fountains. For many, it was a drug addiction issue with the initial introduction to addiction stemming from pain medications, narcotics, and opioids prescribed by professionals just like us! With homelessness at an all time high, the politics of these complex issues don’t interest me as much as how we as doctors and integral leaders of our communities can contribute to the solution while also focusing on prevention. I asked myself then, and ask you now, can we do better?

After graduating UCLA, I had the luck and honor of attending USC School of Dentistry where I was exposed to some of the most accomplished dentists of my time. Studying under clinicians such as Dr. Stanley Melamed, Dr. Pascal Magne, Dr. Roseanna Mulligan, Dr. Clark, Dr. Parish Sedighzadeh, Dr. Richard Khan, and other titans of dentistry instilled more than clinical and didactic experience, it provided me with a real example of how dentists can influence, advance, and shape the direction of dentistry in an effort to improve quality of care and ultimately our patient’s lives. While in a rotation in the medically compromised patients department, I had my next epiphany watching how Dr. Janet Lent (my forever hero) treated our geriatric and disabled patients. The DentalEntrepreneur.com

department had a 12 month waitlist to see a dentist in the “special patients” department and more requests came in daily as desperate patients had nowhere else to turn in a city where there is a dental office on just about each corner. I found out that this was not an isolated situation in Los Angeles. It was horrible to witness how we as a profession had advanced in so many ways yet failed so miserably in how we treat our most underserved and vulnerable patients. I asked myself then, and ask you now, can we do better?

Watching Dr. Janet Lent help underserved and neglected patients was like watching her bring them back to life. I realized then that dentistry is as indispensable and integral to the practice of medicine as oral health is to the maintenance of overall health. You simply cannot have one without the other and the Hippocratic oath we all take is more than a promise to do no harm but also a promise to enhance life and improve the quality of life for ALL of our patients, especially those who need us most. I spent every single day in that department and I made it my home until I graduated. I humbly accepted that department’s unanimous vote to receive the prestigious national annual award for contributions towards the care of medically compromised patients but walked away with a sense of responsibility to improve how and where we deliver care that remains as a driving force in my career.

When I graduated, I deliberated between my options to pursue a specialty or AEGD but ultimately opted to begin working and paying back the $500,000 dollar debt I had incurred up to that point. I had a job waiting with my father in his dental office, but there was one problem, he had recently abandoned his 20 year old successful practice in the heart of Beverly Hills and started a large community practice in one of the most poor and underserved communities in LA County. This was certainly not the prestige I was looking for at the time and to be honest, I wanted to be a celebrity dentist working with the rich and famous. I subleased a single dental chair in the most prestigious medical building in Beverly Hills where I saw paparazzi and A-list celebrities daily. I grew my own successful little practice within a practice and also realized the demand for doing house calls. I found a dental technician on Craigslist and had Mario create me my very first portable dental suitcase, outfitted with its own compressor, vacuum, and everything I needed, to do just about any dental procedure I DentalEntrepreneur.com

wanted. I was soon doing house calls for the Saudi royal family and celebrities I had only ever seen on television.

In the next few years, I went on to purchase multiple dental offices throughout Southern California and began my own little DSO. I was awarded the Top 40 Dentists under 40 designation from Incisal Edge magazine. I had also been honored as one of the top 100 dentists in the world by the global summit. LA magazine named me as the top general dentist of the year and the ICD inducted me as part of the top 1% of dental professionals across the world. Even Dr. Howard Farran wanted to interview me on his podcast. Was this for real? Life was good.

I attribute a large part of my success in my early dental career to people like Howard Farran who taught me about office management and Ed Zuckerberg from whom I learned social media marketing. I was also fortunate to have had the opportunity to hire some of the professors I had worked with at USC with whom I entrusted my dental practices as I went out to learn implantology and dental surgery. I later connected with Dr. Jin Kim, Dr. Tony Daher, and several other incredible clinicians with whom I expanded my surgical skills and with whom I co-founded the Global Dental Implant Academy. The GDIA has since developed into a well recognized international training institute for dental surgery with thousands of clinicians having gone through our surgical and didactic courses. These were exciting times and I certainly had accomplished a lot in a very short period of time but something was still missing. I asked myself then as I do now, can I do better?

I was blessed to have been accepted as a dentist working with the Special Olympics and multiple NGOs providing free dental care in remote regions of developing countries. It was a tremendous experience amalgamating my passion for treating underserved patients with increasing access to care through mobile/portable dentistry. It was extremely rewarding treating patients of all ages who had never been to or even seen a dentist before. Unfortunately the majority of our work included providing surgical interventions and extractions. On some days we would see lines of indigenous patients as far as the eyes can see, waiting to be relieved of pain. We would pull hundreds of teeth daily and still Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 7

it wasn’t enough. Each one of those extractions was a bittersweet moment for us. We were helping provide essential, palliative, and sometimes lifesaving treatments but most of which could have been treated long before they got to that point. We would then leave, go back to our normal lives, and never have the opportunity to even follow up with these patients. The sad reality is that we have millions of Americans across our country experiencing the same thing today. I asked myself then and ask you now, can we do better?

One day at our family dinner my brother and father were discussing how sad it was for them that they were no longer able to treat some of their elderly patients who could no longer travel to their offices. My father also expressed great sadness that he was unable to stay in touch and maintain continuity of care with his patients around the world, even if it meant doing it virtually.

Nothing like that existed at the time, and this was several years before Covid-19, so even most dentists had never heard of the term teledentistry. We discussed how we can potentially solve these issues and wondered whether we can make a mobile app to help.

This is when I had my next great epiphany… It will take one of us dentists to do it or nobody else will. We needed an app and to our surprise, when we Googled “app developers,” their annual convention was that weekend in Silicon Valley! I was on the next flight out.

I showed up at the developers convention with no entry ticket.

It was a developers only convention and I had to have someone sneak me in. Three days of back-to-back classes on blockchain, artificial intelligence, and coding languages will make any dental convention feel like a trip at Disneyland. The last day was the developer job fair. Here I was in an ocean of developers and standing between Microsoft to my left and Amazon to my right.

Both had $100,000 booths and lines of developers waiting to share their resumes. This was my chance; I pulled up a random table in between these booths, wrote “Developers Wanted” on a piece of paper and spread my business cards out on the table. Within five minutes, a line had formed, and I began interviewing developers. I did not know what I wanted to make yet or what in the world they were talking about as they boasted how many different coding languages they know. I just nodded and collected resumes and let them know my HR department would contact them as we shortlist the candidates. Fast forward 2 months later, I had found my CTO, Shiva Kumar, and our development began.

Our concept was immediately picked up by Google, who helped us raise the initial capital from investors. We developed an investment deck, created a business plan, and practiced our “pitch.” I had seen this done on Shark Tank, how hard could this be? In doing our research, we learned that over 2.2 million patients went to emergency rooms out of desperation, because they could not find a dentist to see them. Most of these patients paid 3x of what they would have to pay at a dental office. Most of these patients left with opioids and antibiotics and were sent away to “find a dentist.” We found out that millions of elderly and disabled patients were unable to travel to the office due to various restric-

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tions. The ones that needed us most were unable to reach us and we were unable or unwilling to reach them! I found out that tens of millions of patients lived in “dental deserts,” where they did not have access to dental care. I also learned that 164 million work hours are lost yearly with patients traveling to dental offices for dental consultations and basic treatment that can be done out of the dental office by dental hygienists and nurses. Did you know, 55 million school hours are lost by children who have to be pulled out of school to visit the dentists, most often with emergencies?

Our system was broken! So I asked myself then and ask you now, can we do better?

It was important to us that this is a change that happens from the within. We dentists must make this change ourselves, so we allowed only dental professionals to invest and shape Dentulu’s future. We have since raised over 3 million dollars from over 30 dental professionals from around the United States. Covid-19 has put teledentistry on the map and all of a sudden “teledentistry” is a buzzword around the world. Insurance companies now reimburse for teledentistry procedures at the same rate as in office visits. The ADA, and just about every single dental organization, is either already implementing teledentistry and mobile dentistry policies or figuring out how to do so. It has certainly been an exciting journey. I never imagined sitting in executive meetings with companies like Henry Schein, Colgate, Delta Dental, Cigna, and others looking to either invest in or utilize teledentistry to expand their footprint. Who knew that teledentistry is expected by some analysts to have a market cap of over 150 billion dollars worldwide over the next few years?

We currently have over 2,000 dental professionals across the United States using our software to acquire new patients and to use with their existing patients. We have roughly 200 internal dentists (and growing) providing dental consultations to patients, on-demand. Our software has also come a long way from its original inception and has been awarded the Cellarant “Best of Class Technology” designation two years in a row at the annual ADA show. We are currently the only dental company on the Walgreens website and in the Walgreens mobile app, where millions of visitors can access our nationwide network of dentists. LG television has implemented our software into their smart televisions so people sitting in their living rooms can even access a dentist from home. We are now available in all 50 states on computers, tablets, iphones, and android phones. Patients can access a licensed dentist within 5-10 minutes and can ask questions, get second opinions, prescriptions, and even initiate actual dental work remotely.

Patients are also able to purchase dental products and apply for third-party financing to make their dental work more affordable.

Dentists and hygienists providing mobile dentistry to patients can also create profiles and allow consumers to find them. There are thousands of mobile dentists and hygienists providing onsite care at homes, businesses, senior centers, and other locations where they are needed, using portable dental suitcases similar to the ones I designed a decade ago. They can use our platform to connect with patients, write electronic prescriptions, send and receive DentalEntrepreneur.com

electronic consent and digital forms, collaborate with other dental professionals, and even shop for dental products and portable dental equipment.

While some dentists and naysayers are still resisting innovations by saying, “you can’t do root canals over the phone,” others are building multi-million dollar practices with a steady stream of income and patients initiated from “telephones.” More importantly, teledentistry now provides a mechanism for any patient around the world to have access to a licensed dentist within minutes on their handheld mobile phones. We can provide consultations to every corner of the earth within minutes and can collaborate with other dental professionals worldwide on a HIPAA compliant platform and on almost any device. So I ask myself now, can we still do better?

In order to help provide a very thorough evaluation of our patients, I designed a $49 consumer intra-oral camera called the MouthCAM. The MouthCAM can be given to any patient in the office or shipped to any home, allowing us to see inside their mouth from thousands of miles away. It can be used to connect with any mobile phone or computer. We can identify cavities, oral cancer, recession, and lots of other pathologies remotely and with a high level of accuracy. We use the MouthCAM to screen patients, monitor them after certain procedures, and also as an educational tool. We also distribute them to local schools and physicians who can capture and send us photos or videos to evaluate. We are also combining artificial intelligence to help read the images captured with these cameras, triggering alerts that inform the patient and provider when a more thorough evaluation is necessary. We are not here to replace traditional visits to the dental office; we are here to increase them with proper remote education, consultations, screenings, and referrals.

Dentulu is a company founded and funded by dentists. Some of us continue to practice in traditional brick and mortar offices, while others are purely mobile or virtual. New grads or retiring dentists can leverage their licenses and generate income while helping patients in their state. Dentulu has expanded the available services on our platform from just video consultations to include saliva testing, tooth replacement, night guards, sleep apnea therapy, denture duplication, second opinions, cosmetic consultations, and even remote patient monitoring. We are ending the dental and medical disconnect by providing virtual dentists to help telemedicine companies, hospitals, urgent care centers, medical doctors, and even school nurses address oral health issues with their patients. Patients can also access their personal health information from their patient portal and can share their data with other health care providers with a single click of a button. We are piloting our software with several universities such as UCLA and UPENN and will hopefully begin working with international companies like Colgate that can accelerate our global expansion.

I am humbled at the recognition I have received as CEO but want to take this opportunity to focus more on the opportunity we have before us. There is a paradigm shift occurring in our profession DentalEntrepreneur.com

and we are resetting the way dentistry is delivered. Technology is accelerating faster than ever before—faster than we can create policies and implement them in our practices. Soon artificial intelligence, remote patient monitoring, and even blockchain will fundamentally change the way dentistry is accessed and delivered. The point of care will undoubtedly be shifted in many ways to where the patients are located and the medical and dental communities will finally be connected. Dentulu is the type of ecosystem that will nurture these innovations and hopefully it will not be the only one. With advances in the technologies we are working on, we can reach more patients and do so earlier. We can shift from restoration to prevention. We can not only minimize harm but enhance the quality of life. We can make sure our parents and grandparents are not abandoned when they get older and that they can eat and speak comfortably and with dignity. We can ensure that the most vulnerable of our society can still enjoy fundamental human rights such as equal access to care and the opportunity to smile again after temporary hardships! We can do better for our profession and for the billions of patients we serve around the world and I am beyond excited to be in a position to be a part of this change. Thank you for this incredible recognition and opportunity to share my story and thank you to all of those who have helped, inspired, and encouraged me along the way.

Lastly, thank you to my incredible family, as well as my two cofounders Shiva Kumar and Maribel Gonzales who share my vision and who have made so many sacrifices to support this great cause.

Dr. Hakhamian has served as an official dentist to the Special Olympics as well as serving as an international volunteer in over 15 countries with multiple different volunteer organizations. He was also the co-founder of the Global Dental Implant Academy, The International Extraction Academy, and Global Summits among others. His mother, father, brother, and sister are all licensed dental professionals in the United States.

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Culture

Bringing Big League Marketing Tactics to Dental Eric Hubbard & Andre Santos

M

eet the Founders of Pain-Free Dental Marketing: Eric Hubbard and Andre Santos.

Eric Hubbard and Andre Santos, like many entrepreneurs, started their careers in the corporate world. Eric built his marketing foundation at Proctor and Gamble, where he mastered the art of aiming messages directly at the company’s highest value patients. For P&G, the “Golden Mom” was a hypothetical customer who spent more than any other demographic. Eric learned how to be laser-focused on the right customer to bring the highest value to the company.

He met Andre years later when the two worked at GameStop.

Andre was a detailed, solution-focused software engineer on Eric’s team. As they undertook a complicated marketing project together, Andre and Eric built rapport and trust that later turned into a friendship.

During the span of this project, Eric visited his hometown dentist.

From the dental chair, he stared at a complicated flow chart of GameStop user demographics.

By the time Eric was done explaining the marketing strategy, the dentist had become his first client.

A PAIN-FREE PARTNERSHIP On the side, Eric built the dentist a custom website, including complex tools and functionality he had delivered to the large corporations he’d worked for. He created a website that was targeted directly to the dentist’s ideal patient—and packed it with trackable data and automations. Eric asked Andre to help him develop these automations, including a tool that would track where phone calls came in through the website. It wasn’t long before Andre left his job at GameStop to work with Eric.

“Friends thought I was crazy to leave my job to work at some dude’s house,” Andre laughed. “But I hardly had to think about it. I trusted Eric. Once we got started, we never thought about going back.”

What appealed to Andre most in the early days was taking ownership of what he built. His tools could make clients more successful and their jobs more fun.

“What are you working on?” asked the dentist.

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“I never considered anyone else,” Eric said about choosing Andre as his business partner. “It was the best decision of my career.”

Eric and Andre have complementary skill sets. (They affectionately call it Shake and Bake.) Eric’s big picture vision is matched

by Andre’s focus on data and detail. However, the success of their partnership rides on their shared passion for the company they’re building.

“Andre and I have always shared guiding light principles of who we wanted to be,” Eric said.

This vision has kept the Pain Free founders on the same page as they’ve grown from one dental client to hundreds. Their commitment to shared principles has shaped the team, culture, and client base at Pain-Free from the very beginning.

BUILDING A DREAM TEAM Andre and Eric have always prioritized hiring people they love to work with. They want to enjoy their coworkers, not just tolerate them. They seek people who can fit the culture, directly communicate with clients, and love the work as much as they do.

“Early on, passion was more important than trying to do something perfectly,” Eric shared. “Now that we’ve grown, we have a healthy balance of crazy zealots and people who strive for perfection in their work. It’s worked for us.”

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They’ve also assembled a team of people who appreciate and enjoy each other—and appreciate and enjoy their clients. On their most recent company trip, employees shared what they loved about everyone around the table.

“You can’t force people to feel that way about each other—they just do,” said Andre. “People hang out because they want to, and not because it’s their job. That’s unique.”

It is unique, but it’s also intentional. Eric and Andre have had the wisdom from the very beginning to prioritize people. It’s their number one tip for other entrepreneurs: “Focus on your team. There are a lot of marketing companies out there. Someone else can replicate how you build websites—and try to do it faster and cheaper. If you’re going to compete on the product, someone will always copy you. But no one else can replicate your people or your culture. Invest in that.”

CULTURE STARTS ON DAY ONE Company culture is a buzzword now. But when Pain-Free was just a start-up at Eric’s dining room table, the founders were building the traditions, rituals, and principles that would sustain it long term. The result of those early conversations is now a Google document called PFDM Culture.

The internal document outlines principles like “Surprise and Delight Clients,” “Care for the Team and Teamwork,” and “Strive Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 11

to Be Better and Make the Company Better.” It lists traditions that have been around since the earliest days of the company: Christmas in July, their own version of the “Happy Birthday” song, Poem and Portrait Secret Santa, Field Day, and the Shake and Bake Award.

Everyone’s favorite tradition is the annual company trip, where Pain-Free hosts employees on a beach vacation. Now a much larger undertaking, Andre and Eric had the foresight to plan for an annual trip when they were a very small company. As they grew, the trip became a permanent line item in Pain-Free’s budget.

“I had been a part of start-ups in my career,” Eric shared. “And I noticed that if they did little things to build culture early, they could grow it. If they started too late, it was harder to build.”

They acknowledge that investing in company culture comes with a price tag. It’s also been much more challenging to maintain since the pandemic interrupted big events, vacations, and everyday work. But for Eric and Andre, the benefits of their team rapport outweigh the cost of expensive trips.

“We do a lot to appreciate our team. If we take care of them, they take care of our clients,” Andre shared. “We want people to stay here a long time.”

COMPASSIONATE CAPITALISM Keeping great employees around means more than vacations. It’s why another section of the PFDM Culture document is dedicated to the employee benefits plan. Pain-Free offers competitive salaries, vacation stipends, paid time off, and a full 401K match, a big undertaking for a company of its size.

That’s because Eric and Andre share another guiding principle, which they call “Compassionate Capitalism.” They believe in creating a profitable company, but also in distributing profit with balance. They are highly considerate of employee, company, client, partner, and community needs, and seek to earn responsibly—without causing harm to any party.

Pain-Free also commits wholeheartedly to charity. The whole team participates with local nonprofits Operation Christmas Child and Dwell with Dignity. It’s a way for the founders to live out their values with the entire company—and it builds culture in the process.

TRUSTING YOUR TEAM, YOUR PARTNER, AND YOUR GUT Pain-Free Dental Marketing has transitioned from a two-person partnership to a bustling agency. It hasn’t always been easy, but both Eric and Andre are optimistic about the future of the company and the team they’ve assembled to lead it.

“It starts with being real,” says Andre, when asked how he would describe Pain-Free now. “New hires come in and directly interact

with the team to get a sense of who we are. And it’s the same for clients. We are authentic about who we are and how we can help.

I don’t have a marketing silver bullet. Anyone who promises a specific ROI is giving a sales pitch. What I say is this: We will work hard for you. You will be in the loop. You’ll get the good news and bad news. And, if a strategy isn’t working, we’ll suggest what we should do differently. I don’t know for sure what’s going to work for you—but I have an idea about where to start. I think clients find that refreshing.”

Andre and Eric both credit the strength of their partnership for helping them navigate challenging decisions as the company grows.

“What makes our relationship work, while there’s definitely conflict at times,” shared Eric, “is that I have never in my mind questioned that Andre believes he’s doing what’s in the company’s best interest.”

What’s the secret to keeping the company’s best interest in focus?

Eric shares: “Every week, Andre and I have conversations about what kind of company we want to lead. We aren’t always perfect. Any time we have steered away from our vision, it’s cost us. We’ve hired counter to our culture, taken deals for revenue, and kept clients for too long who didn’t value us. But, when we keep who we want to be at the forefront of our minds, we can align that ideal with the decisions we make. We never stop asking ourselves what kind of company we aspire to be. And that keeps us moving forward.”

Eric Hubbard and Andre Santos are the cofounders of Pain-Free Dental Marketing. Eric developed his marketing chops with Fortune 300 companies including Proctor and Gamble.

Andre began his career as a software engineer.

Their paths crossed on a project at GameStop.

At Pain-Free, Eric and Andre have provided marketing services to hundreds of dental practices, applying the same methodologies they used for large corporations to help dentists grow their practices.

Learn more at www.painfreedentalmarketing. com

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Spotlight Culture

When One Plus One Doesn’t Equal Two Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman

P

erhaps you have heard the quote by Joseph Campbell, “If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”

For many in their professional careers, there comes a point when the path forward isn’t easy to find. The timing of this lack of clarity may vary, but if you practice long enough in dentistry, it may undoubtedly find you. For me, a practicing pediatric dentist in Connecticut, that moment arrived in 2021, but the journey began much earlier than that. I had been one of the lucky ones, who discovered her specialty passion in dental school. Pediatric dentistry with all of its unknowns and unpredictable patients, brought me the excitement and energy I craved in a profession with boundless possibilities for positive change. The impact of creating healthier outcomes for children, modifying their behaviors, and delivering quality healthcare in creative and efficient methods was and still is very appealing to me. My matriculation through dental school followed by a post-graduate residency led me to the unexpected world of not just being a pediatric dentist but also an educator, teaching, and eventually leading a pediatric dentistry residency program. Varying professional paths in private practice, hospital dentistry, and ultimately academia have defined my more than 15 years of practice. However, it is in the world of dental education that I made some of my biggest discoveries in the current disconnect and divide that exist for many academics of color.

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The benefit of differences in experiences should be growth.

Implementing from experience, the advantages of what works best, while learning from the mistakes of what does not, is the very nature of progress. But what happens when the outlook of that experience is limited? Or the benefit of varying perspective, brought by both diversity of culture and thought, is missing?

Then perhaps the outcome is an educational pool not fully reflective of the vast communities that they serve. Academic development for faculty within dental schools in the US, has taken on a greater importance in organized dentistry within the last 15 years.

Despite the strides made in individual institutions and national organizations, the faculty support for dental educators of color, and specifically African Americans, is still lacking. This road being less traveled, in dental education, took a significant turn in 2020, when the country as a whole entered a period of social unrest. Dentistry, like many other sectors within America, had to address this social reckoning and for many dental schools like mine, it meant engaging the students and residents in support and expression. One forum answering the call was the resurgence of a minority student mentorship group for both medical and dental students at the university. While a multitude of African American physicians, both full- and part-time faculty, rose to the occasion, I was the only African American dental faculty present to support the dental student participants. Not because the others had prior obligations or possible conflicts, but because in 2020, like in 2019 and 2018 and so on; I was the only African American Dentist Faculty in the School of Dental Medicine.

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Throughout 2020 and 2021, I provided mentorship to the minority dental students, one of the greatest pleasures I experienced during the Pandemic. It was educational, to listen to their perspective on not just the current social concerns, but the pandemic and the impact and trauma both were having on them. The striking disparity in support for both the minority students and myself, for all intents and purposes, at a well-meaning institution could not be overlooked. The juxtaposition of the school’s desire to recognize the obvious national upheaval and support the student body, while not sharing the consistent interest in recruitment and retention of minority faculty parallel to society’s blind eye finally finding its sight. The school’s perplexing activities were somewhat analogous to the patient in your practice who is only interested in the cleanings but not the restorative care.

I got to release my own concerns in the safe space I created with the students and we became for each other a bonded unit, not because we all saw the world in the same way, but perhaps because the world sees us all the same. It was during this time that I started to also reflect on the experiences relayed by fellow colleagues at other institutions, and heard the familiar pattern of isolation in spite of well-meaning platitudes. When the numbers bear a different priority from the words uttered, as they say, therein lies the problem. But what can be done about it?

Professional networking is an essential component in most careers and has historically been the backbone of how most dental educators of color have navigated academia. The question, however, is should it be the default solution to the lack of academic support?

The answer should be no. It is the responsibility of dental education institutions to recognize academic development as an obligation to a thriving educational system. It is our responsibility as dental professionals to participate and encourage this recognition in demanding more from our educational and governing bodies. It begins with organizations like ADEA launching a pivotal Dental Education Climate Assessment on Diversity and Inclusion survey in the spring of 2022 but is more impacted by the consistent outcomes that follow later in the year and beyond. It continues with all dental professionals increasing awareness of statistics involving other segments of the population other than our own within our profession and feeling uncomfortable about what the data truly reflects. For example, the following article published in Journal of Dental Education in April 2021 highlighted the minuscule growth of Black and African American enrolled dental students when compared to the overall US population: https://doi.org/10.1002/ jdd.12611.

It’s nurtured by incorporating evidence-based assessments and evaluation tools that encompass a realistic and effective appraisal of our teaching staff as well as the investment in pedagogy within our faculty programs to advance their performance and consistent outcomes.

For my part, I am taking a step in being the change that I seek, through the creation of my company PGP Dental Consultancy, while transitioning to an Adjunct Assistant Professor Position. I DentalEntrepreneur.com

have embraced creating a forum to address an opportunity that demands our attention. I have partnered with ICQ Global, a leader in people development, to create coaching strategies for academic development with a focus on cognitive and cultural diversity and inclusion. The realization that the conversations and experiences being repeated by minority dentists at so many institutions are waiting for participants and onlookers alike to step to the forefront, leading the way in a call to action. If necessity be the mother of invention, then I particularly encourage all DeWs to tap into their intuition and foster change through mentorship and the supplemental support that is so needed within our profession.

While I am excited in my new entrepreneurial adventure, I feel compelled to still engage in dental education. To be representative of encouraging a younger generation of why their representation matters and countering the void created when that needed voice isn’t there. Embarking on a more inclusive and equitable support for a diverse dental profession, will require the active work of all its members. It requires African American providers like myself to traverse spaces that I once may have thought uncomfortable or felt like I would not have been fully embraced. It requires me to first share common ground with others and then embark on tackling differences. It takes those whose perspectives are totally different to place a higher priority on viewing the landscape through a different lens. One which may appear unclear and out of focus at the beginning but quickly gains reassurance, recognizing that it isn’t someone else’s, just yours to forge as you go.

Dr. Karen Kemp-Prosterman, affectionately known as Dr. Kemp or Dr. KP, is a practicing pedodontist with over 15 years of experience.

Dr. KP completed her dental education at Meharry Medical College in Nashville, TN in 2002, and moved to NYC to pursue her passion of Pediatric Dentistry. She completed a General Practice Residency program in 2003 at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center where she was then selected for the Pediatric Dentistry Residency program. After serving as Chief Resident, Dr. Kemp-Prosterman graduated in 2005 and was recruited to join the Faculty of the Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center; Dept. of Pediatric Dentistry.

She served as Program Director, 2011-2013, and has extensive private practice experience in both New York and Connecticut. She is a Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry and has memberships in the Connecticut State Dental Association, American Dental Association, ADEA and American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. KP is an Assistant Professor at the University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine Department of Craniofacial Sciences: Division of Pediatric Dentistry. When not involved in her passions of education and dentistry, she can be found embracing her other joys of travel, animals, music, and tennis.

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Business

Ending the Dental Divorce Cycle Robert Spiel, MBA & Bryton Nield

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ne of dentistry's dirtiest little secrets is how quickly most associate relationships fail; three out of four associateships end within one year of being hired—a staggering 75% failure rate. Sadly, in sharing this statistic with experienced practice owners, they mutter under their breath and then say the 75% number is low, based on what they have lived through. Some have only seen a 100% failure rate while hiring five or six associates over twenty years.

Compounding this is how private practice dentistry is under attack behind the scenes at dental schools. Corporate dentistry is recruiting most quality dental grads, telling them the feefor-service practice is dead. Deans at dental schools we know personally share their experience that 90% of associateships fail within the first year, so why not just jump into a DSO knowing the opportunity will be short-lived, but what else can they do?

This inability for private practices to successfully bring on new associate doctors who fit and stay is an enormous waste of money, lives, time, effort, and expectations. Our estimate for the cash opportunity cost of each failure ranges between $100-200,000, based upon the size of the practice. The additional "cost" of patient reputation, owner frustration, and staff disharmony substantially increase that cost.

If practices had a 75% failure rate with implants, we would demand a solution. However, hiring an associate isn't a part or a

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piece of equipment. This is a human system—and human systems are fraught with difficulty because we are in the middle of them.

Based upon over ten years of experience, the reason this failure rate has been so profound and prolonged is that the owner-associate relationship has been viewed with a false set of assumptions. The parties that have led the charge for years in finding and hiring new dentists have viewed this as a business relationship. It's not.

Besides the real thing, bringing on a dental associate is the closest thing to an actual marriage we know of in business. Even medical doctors do not experience this level of associate failure because they practice on "parallel tracks." Occasionally, their paths intersect, but they often practice independently of other doctors. However, in a dental practice, the doctors are in each other's "sandbox" all day long. Not only is dentistry an intimate experience for the patient, but it is also an intimate relationship for the doctors.

Honesty, values, personality style, views about money, work ethic, and developing clinical respect and trust for each other make or break associate relationships even when there is plenty of patient volume to go around.

If approaching this like a marriage is the solution, how can that happen for a busy practice owner who may already be running faster than they have strength and time? The answer boils down to one word used through a dating, courting, and marrying process:

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CLARITY. Clarity has allowed our firm to achieve a 90% success rate in associate hiring over the past ten years, and while it seems like magic—it just works. It can work for you as well.

• There first must be clarity of readiness. For instance, if the goal is to replicate the owner/doctor and not replace them, carefully determine: • Is there a practice within the practice? Could opportunities you have let slip in the past be capitalized on with additional clinical capacity?

• Has volume reached a point of busyness where the owner/doctor is booked out for two months or more?

• Is new patient volume sufficient to be diverted 2/3 of the time to the new associate?

The next point of clarity is “fit” with the practice culture, clinical needs, and practice leadership team. Detailing—before you even begin searching for candidates­—the characteristics of the ideal candidate allows you to maintain a laser-like focus through the interview and surveying process. As candidates check off these boxes, include your team in interviewing. Including them in the process gives them buy-in to the outcome.

Having clarity of expectations and rewards for meeting them is next. It is vital to know the path you will take to get this new doctor busy, what type of dentistry you want them to be doing in the future, the mentoring and CE model you'll employ to raise their skills. You must know how to structure a win-win compensation package leading to eventual ownership, if that is the desired outcome.

Finally, with these other points in place, maintaining clarity within the relationship helps dramatically toward a successful "dental marriage." Being able to discuss issues as they arise—and knowing which topics need talking about—is critical. We've found having a third party engaged in the relationship monthly for at least a year and a half, acting almost like a marriage counselor, helps keep expectations in line, communication open, and budding partnerships on track.

A client of ours, Dr. Matt Harmon in Sun City West, AZ, found that he was burning the candle at both ends—and slowly burning out. Dr. Harmon's practice had reached a performance level he had only dreamed of a few years earlier. Now he was working twelvehour days, four days per week—and not letting work go, even when he was not at the practice. This impacted relationships at home, and his health was also being affected. The looming question that prevailed in his mind, however, was: can I find an associate who fits with my team, patients, and me, who we will really enjoy working with..? Or do I just keep my head down, hate my life, and risk a divorce for the next ten or fifteen years until retiring?

owners ask themselves. The horror stories they have heard of associateships consistently failing, and costing a ton in doing so, lead to a fear of even considering bringing on another doctor. Dr. Harmon needed to be convinced the process worked because, understandably, his practice was "his baby." Once he gave the green light, the recruiting phase began, and several candidates applied. Clarity was THE standard throughout the entire process, and eventually, the hired associate fit in every sense of the word. Dr. Harmon is now in the process of hiring a second associate, using the same tools from before, no longer fearful that he will end up with a dreaded dental divorce.

Each day tens of thousands of private practice owners are heroes to their patients, delivering outstanding care while growing their practices. Nonetheless, they are left wondering if they will ever be able to replicate themselves with a successful associate relationship or transition their practice at the right time, in the right way, to the right person. Hiring right is not an inherent strength among practice owners. However, over the past ten years of placing rightfit associates who stay and become a great asset to the practice, we've found a 90% success rate by allowing this process to dictate the outcome.

Hope is here. There's a solution that works. It all starts with viewing the relationship in another light, knowing who will fit and why, and then using the process to make the hiring decision. It also means including your team, establishing win-win agreements, being clear about expectations, and the path to practice ownership (if that's the goal). Finally, third-party participation in the relationship is vital to long-term success to ensure the relationship stays on track, expectations remain clear, and molehills—which always arise—do not turn into mountains. Now is an exciting new day for individual practice owners, recent graduates, DSO doctors wanting a much better opportunity, and private practice dentistry as a whole.

Bob Spiel’s passion is building high-performance teams that deliver exceptional service while doing more, in less time, with less stress. His firms, Spiel Consulting and Dentist Hiring Pros, transform general and specialty dental practices by building leaders at all levels - with a special focus on building leaders among owners and associate dentists. He can be reached at Bob@DentistHiringPros.com.

Bryton Nield’s passion is impacting as many lives as possible by creating and supporting successful businesses. He does this by helping create successful teams founded in communication, upside-down leadership, and by creating clear expectations, goals, and metrics. His firm, Dentist Hiring Pros, is taking the dental industry by storm by transforming the industry-standard associateship’s 75% failure rate and flipping this on its head to a 90% success rate. He can be reached at Bryton@DentistHiringPros.com.

From our experience, this is a question almost all busy practice DentalEntrepreneur.com

Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 17

Business

To DSO or Not to DSO: That is the Question Matthew & Janice Jarvis

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he jury is still out, and that’s because the question about what exactly is a DSO is still out. Does bringing on an associate make you a DSO? Are DSOs the same as PEOs (Professional Employee Organizations)? Is it imperative to give up your employees and equipment to be contracted with a DSO? The narrative continues to be written and rewritten amongst dental industry experts.

Ask ten people what they think a DSO is and you're likely to get ten different answers! That’s confusing, but it's also exciting! Our industry is growing and expanding in business ideas as well as innovative technologies. The impact is huge!

Yet at the same time, we are still dealing with the same old insurance payor issues. Add risk management, billing compliance, HIPAA and OSHA training, now try to manage your employees effectively as you strive to attain a positive culture in your practice.

And how about all of those HR issues and regulations? Are your staff members completing their assigned tasks? Would you know if they weren’t completing their tasks? How difficult is it to find, hire, and retain a good employee?

Oh, and one more thing, you still have to see patients! The problems seem to be endless. It certainly makes you think about a DSO. You need relief!

Does your practice need an influx of cash? Such as a DSO could provide? To reduce stress, are you willing to give-up certain control of your practice? How much and what would you be giving up? All these questions would depend upon your personal arrangement with the DSO of your choice.

What are your alternatives? Is there a way to decrease stress and still maintain your own practice? Outsourcing companies can offer a great alternative to a DSO, depending on what your needs are. Outsourcing some or all of your administration can be a welcomed relief. For example, insurance verifications and billing claims can readily be done remotely. Outsourcing companies can

18 Spring 2022 Dental Entrepreneur

offer expert assistance versus training and retraining your own employees. In fact, many outsourcing companies work for dentists inside DSOs. Again, it’s very confusing.

Many experts consider outsourcing companies to be DSOs, as they support dental offices. However, DSOs typically have a larger stake in your practice. Whereas, outsourcing companies offer virtual administration services only. In that context, an outsourcing company would be considered an ASO (Administrative Services Organization).

So, if you’re looking to keep your autonomy, an outsourcing company may be the right fit for you. Think about what your pain points are. Come up with five things you would like to see addressed in your practice. Then evaluate whether or not a DSO or an outsourcing company (ASO) is the best solution. Either way, bringing your quality of life to a higher level should be a premium.

I recommend two books: DSO Secrets by Emmet Scott and The Stress-Free Dentist by Dr. Eric Block Hopefully, with a little thought and introspection, you can find the relief you’re looking for, so you can begin to create that headache-free business that you deserve.

My name is Matthew Jarvis. I reside in Upstate NY with my wife and business partner, Janice Jarvis. I’ve been in the DSO business since 1996, owning three dental management companies, building and managing ten offices in Texas and NY State. Our latest venture is Dental Ops, The Office Managers Virtual Assistance - OMVA. An ASO. Our mission is to help as many doctors and office managers as possible across the Nation with our Virtual Assistance.

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Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 19

Business

Succeeding With Implementing New Technology in Your Dental Practice Travis Rodgers

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e see resistance to change every day in dental offices. Many times, a dentist will go to an industry conference, get excited about some new dental technology or gadget, make a decision to purchase it, and then come Monday morning, when they make the announcement of the new device, the new software, or the new product, they are immediately shot down by their team or deflated when it isn’t implemented.

IT IS WHO YOU ARE Over the past 19 years, I have worked with thousands of dentists, built 27 different dental products, and helped launch over 200 products into the industry. And when my team continually failed at implementing the products in dental offices, I took a step back and ran a personality study with over 5,000 dentists and team members, using the DISC assessment. What we have found is that dentists are mostly of the C personality type.

The good news is, there is a better way of overcoming resistance and navigating technology change in your dental offices!

The C type stands for “compliance.” When making decisions, the C personality type (dentists) is cautious, skeptical, and slow to make change. Sometimes that is good, but when it comes to implementing technology, it poses problems due to the fear of making mistakes.

Dentists have a lot on their plate these days. You're trying to build your career, trying to increase your income, reduce your stress, balance your life, and compete against corporate dentistry.

That is a lot to overcome and technology plays a critical role in your success.

In this presentation, I will discuss the three Cs of implementing new technology in your dental practice: • Communication • Coordination • Conviction

20 Spring 2022 Dental Entrepreneur

Most team members are the S type, which means “steady.” This is a good pairing with the cautious personality. Both personality types are good for their jobs but don't lend themselves very well to implementing new technology or processes.

THREE C’S OF IMPLEMENTING CHANGE There is a way to push through the natural and personality barriers dentists have against implementing new technology. I have DentalEntrepreneur.com

broken it simply down to three Cs. These three Cs are paramount in implementing new technology in your dental practice.

Communication, Coordination, and Conviction.

Communication with the team that will be using the technology is critical.

Coordination between your team, patients, vendors, and partners is very important.

And Conviction is absolutely the most important thing. You must have conviction that the technology you are implementing will have a positive impact on your practice.

COMMUNICATION Woodrow Wilson once said, “If you want to make enemies, try to change something.”

With the current shortage of team members in dental practices, dentists feel even more pressure to keep their team happy, and because of that, involving the team in the process of implementing new technology is critically important. Lack of team involvement is a huge reason why the implementation of technology fails in dental offices. You must communicate to your team that you are evaluating new technology, get them involved in the selection, listen to their input, and keep them involved all the way through from start to implementation.

One of my customers, Dr. Patel, out of Lorton, Virginia, exhibited phenomenal communication skills with his team on a project DentalEntrepreneur.com

we worked on together. The situation: Dr. Patel was looking to implement a new referral system. He had personally already decided to use our OneClick Referral product, but before he moved forward, he went back and got his team involved in the selection process from demo to implementation, and the project was a huge success.

COORDINATION Coordination is also an important part of implementing new technology. This means planning the selection and implementation of the product. The best resource here is to have the vendor providing the product give you a plan to implement their product.

They are the experts. Don’t negotiate out a setup fee, that setup fee is typically tied to the hours that company has set aside to have their implementation resource help you with setup. If you take out the setup fee, you take out the service time. Just like dental care, you get what you pay for and you don’t get what you don’t pay for.

A STORY ABOUT MY SON A few years ago, my son, Blake, came to me and said, "Daddy, I want to ride my bike to school like the big boys with no training wheels."

I said, "All right, buddy." I grabbed his bike and grabbed the wrench, grabbed his helmet, took his training wheels off, and strapped his helmet on him. I felt like I wanted to put pads all over his body, but I refrained from doing that for fear of embarDental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 21

rassing him.

At first Blake was a little wobbly and didn't quite get it. Then suddenly, something in him changed. He started to get it and you could tell he really wanted it. At that point, he was more stable, so I let him go, and immediately he fell, falling pretty hard. I ran up to him, dusted him off, wiped his tears and said, "Buddy, you know this normally takes seven days for other kids to learn how to ride a bike. Let's try it again tomorrow," and I reached down to pick up his bike.

He looked me right in the eye, grabbed my hand and said, "No, Daddy, I'm going to do this." He had conviction, so he got back on his bike and he began to ride again. Of course, he crashes again, but this time he gets up faster, no tears this time, and immediately he gets back up on his bike, and he's stronger and more stable. You can see it in his eyes, he really wants this, and the next time he gets on his bike, he rides around the block. He did it because he had conviction and he was successful.

Practices that are successful in bringing new technology to their practice have to really want it, and they absolutely need to have conviction. Sometimes it feels like you might crash or you are just chasing that shiny new thing, but you really need to understand why it's important, why it's important for your practice, why it's important for your team, why it's important to your patients, and why it's going to make an impact on your bottom line.

22 Spring 2022 Dental Entrepreneur

The #1 most important thing is to have conviction when implementing new technology in your practice.

If you want to make a difference in your practice, make a difference in your life, have clear communication with your team, have great coordination between everyone involved, and most of all, have conviction that the technology you are implementing will make a positive impact on the success of your practice.

Travis grew up in Silicon Valley, so technology has always been a huge part of his life. He is passionate about building custom dental software solutions that make an impact on dentists, dental teams, and patients. Over the past two decades Travis has invented many dental software programs like DrDDS Innovations, OneClick Referral, VeriDent, Scout Analytics, RecordLinc, Luv Dentist, and more. Travis runs a dental software incubator and is considered to be among the leaders in dental innovation and technology. Travis has been called “The #1 Entrepreneur in Dentistry” and is affectionately known as “The Dental Technology Guy”. More about DrDDS at www.DrDDS. com More about Travis at www.TravisRodgers.com

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Practice Makes Perfect “Dr. Earl Douglas and the staff at ADS South have been real helpful in steering me in the right direction in the purchase of my first practice. Dr. Douglas’s experience, organization and detail-orientation, pointed out to me where improvement is needed and how to go about achieving it.”

Elizabeth H. Guerrero, DDS Get off to the perfect start. Call your ADS transition specialist for AL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN and VA today.

ADS South (770) 664-1982 ADSsouth.com

YOUR PARTNER TO PROSPER Propel your practice with Patterson.

Supporting your success is central to our purpose.

We provide the products, technologies and services you need to modernize, grow and keep your practice running smoothly.

Whether you’re exploring a purchase, implementing a new technology or optimizing it for improvement, our experts will offer you unmatched support.

VISIT OUR VIRTUAL BOOTH TO TALK WITH A REPRESENTATIVE TRUSTED EXPERTISE. UNRIVALED SUPPORT.™ 21PD103459 (1/20)

Innovation

Is $200 Million Annually Wasted On Orthodontic Patient Non-Compliance A Thing Of The Past?

Dylan Drozdowicz

B

ringing an idea to a physical product has been a fun, difficult, and stressful journey. Many people discuss very innovative products or services with friends and family around the dinner table but never end up committing to their idea. It is very difficult to step outside of our comfort zones of a “wantrepreneur mindset” into an actual entrepreneur mindset. In becoming a businessperson, one must first accept the possibility of failure, but also plan, execute, and adapt to both market and consumer needs.

When I first formed the business entity in December 2020, I thought this was such a great idea and that every orthodontist, GP, and aligner company would come flocking to offer this product to their patients. Fast forward to a year and a half later in product development, I still find it very difficult to have doctors and aligner companies commit to providing the product to their patients. The initial setbacks can be both mentally and physically draining, however with each business milestone that gets completed, it incrementally outweighs the setbacks.

24 Spring 2022 Dental Entrepreneur

During times of setbacks, I would recommend for entrepreneurs to take a step back and look back at all the accomplishments they have made and to refocus their energy on their business’s mission.

Our mission statement at ToothCase, LLC is to “increase the engagement & compliance of patients throughout their orthodontic journey!” We take the mission statement one step further with our slogan, “Let us be your nighttime for a lifetime.”

With production and mobile app development near completion, our long-term vision is to be the industry standard for patients’ post-orthodontic treatment; to receive a Smart Retainer Case with their treatment. My goal as Founder and CEO is to carry out this vision and support both the doctors and patients in their goals of providing and receiving a beautiful smile. I believe that for an individual to get the best possible full-service outcome is by focusing on doing what they do best. We have taken the motto into action by working with various industry partners in app development, engineering, public relations, marketing, accounting, and legal to provide consumers with a full-service product.

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We want to provide both orthodontists and GPs who provide aligners to their patients an extra tool to ensure that their patients are happy with their long-term treatment outcome.

We want to provide both orthodontists and GPs who provide aligners to their patients an extra tool to ensure that their patients are happy with their long-term treatment outcome. As with any professional, whether business, doctor, or lawyer, the ones that succeed in the long-term are the ones that put their customers’ or patients’ needs and wants before their own. We are looking to work with orthodontists and dentists who see the long-term benefits of providing this service to their customers and strongly feel that those who adapt to this advancement will see the benefits of more word-of-mouth marketing from their happy patients.

At this point in the article, you may wonder what a Smart Retainer Case is and how it benefits the patient and the doctor?

A Smart Retainer Case shares many of the physical components of a standard retainer case, but also includes a motion sensor chip that detects if the case was opened or closed. This benefits the patient by providing mobile notifications through a mobile application to remind them to wear their retainer at night. If the patient forgets to open the case, both parent (if the patient is a minor) and patient receive notification to wear their retainer. Our mobile application will then log and provide compliance data via charts to keep the patient actively engaged in their retention phase post orthodontic treatment. In addition, to keep them engaged, we will provide rewards through affiliated companies and provide them discounts on other products.

Patients can become in the “risk-zone” of reverting on their treatment progress in as little as 2-3 days of being non-compliant with their retainer usage. Many are not aware of this going into the treatment and even post orthodontic treatment. That is where we come into the orthodontic equation. If our technology notices that the patient has not worn their retainer in three (3) consecutive days, we send a mobile push notification to ask if they either lost their retainer or are forgetting to wear their retainer. If they lost the retainer, a representative will submit a request to order a new retainer to the patient’s doctor’s office. Given advances in DentalEntrepreneur.com

technology in the doctor’s offices, the front office can quickly send an STL file to the lab to get the most recent retainer under production and delivered to the patient.

This is a huge improvement to the current process of having patients taking time out of their work or school schedules and wasting the doctor’s chair time. In addition, a timely order submitted to the lab can be the difference between remaining current with their treatment or reverting to their treatment process.

We as patients want the doctors and office staff members’ attention on the actual scheduling, patient insurance coordination, and treatment. We think that MyToothCase can fit within the orthodontic ecosystem as a value-add for consistent remote patient monitoring. As with any healthy ecosystem, we must not stretch ourselves thin by trying to do too much, but rather work in a symbiotic relationship to provide the best possible outcome for all parties.

My name is Dylan Drozdowicz, Founder and CEO of ToothCase, LLC. I started my journey developing my product out of personal frustration for being non-compliant with my nightly retainer wear. Due to being non-compliant, my teeth shifted, and I have received orthodontic treatment not once, not twice, but three times. That is a down payment on a house! That is what led me to create a product to help others avoid the same mistakes I made post orthodontic treatment. Did you know there is roughly $200 million dollars’ worth of treatment that gets “wasted” each year due to noncompliance? Visit us at www.mytoothcase.com For more information on product pricing, marketing materials, and integrating within your practice, please email me at Dylan.Drozdowicz@mytoothcase.com. We look forward to working together in creating and maintaining beautiful and healthy smiles!

Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 25

Launchpad

Weighing In With Abdullah Al Qaraghuli Luke Shapiro, DDS

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had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Abdullah Al Qaraghuli, a recent graduate from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and a current resident in their AEGD program. He is known on social media for running his page @dentalimpressions, which highlighted his journey throughout dental school and residency.

WHEN DID YOU START THE ACCOUNT? I initially started a channel on Youtube because I struggled with figuring out my application and applying to dental school was a nightmare of deadlines, written portions, and supplemental applications. After a few videos, I realized creating video content for someone that was inexperienced in social media, while in dental school is not sustainable and my alternative was to start @dentalimpressions on Instagram. I started content creating my first semester of dental school in 2017.

I decided I would interview a diverse group of dental students that had different routes into dental school to show that there is no formula for a dental applicant. You can be any major you want with any background as long as you fulfill the requirements of each school you're applying to.

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WHAT ARE SOME BRANDS YOU'VE WORKED WITH? Most of my deals were between the 2nd and 3rd year of dental school, but then Covid-19 put a halt on many companies and their plans. Everything was about to change and their approach was different as well. I tried promo codes in the beginning, but my personal opinion on promo codes is that they transformed me from a content creator to a salesman. Educational content creation is within the scope of the profession, but sales I found to be an unprofessional twist to healthcare. My rule with any contract is no promo codes. I currently hold a contract with Jaanuu scrubs since their founder is a health care provider and they honor their contracts. In other companies I worked with I only dealt with marketers and they forget that profit in dentistry comes second to patient care, and professional boundaries are stricter than what they are used to. Unfortunately, some dental students and dental professionals seem to be forgetting that what they post online portrays not only themselves but also our profession.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? My residency is almost over and my plan is to pursue an associate position in private practice. I was fortunate that my residency program was heavy on current and future dental practices with DentalEntrepreneur.com

You are not to make your page for money, otherwise your image will be distorted and the authenticity will be less valuable. If you work with every toothbrush company that comes your way the heavy hitters won't hire you as readily, since you will advertise anything, so your word versus the people that keep an authentic image are of different values. Do not start Instagram for the money, start it for you to express your personal opinions and develop a virtual print. Your online presence is your patient's first impression. Make sure it is favorable to your patients as well, not just your individual taste, because when you signed up to be a healthcare professional you were aware that your patients will come first then yourself. Finally, have fun on social media! If it stresses you out, then don't do it. Social media should only help you not add more stress to your stressful life.

a design based on private practice. I chose not to pursue a hospital-based residency because, although it comes with interesting cases, I did not find that approach to be the best for me since my interest was private practice. The current pace of residency is beyond insane and the cases are complex with a complex patient population, but it is exhilarating as much as it is exhausting. Working 8am to 4pm every day will take a physical toll, but I also still do the vast majority of my lab work, although we do not have to do any lab work in the program. I usually wake up at 5am and I don't get home until 7pm. I have formulated a routine and it helps make my life more efficient so I am able to perform everything I plan to perform in a sustainable fashion. But my plans next year are to teach part-time at UB and work in private practice full time.

ANY ADVICE FOR ANY BUDDING DENTAL INSTAGRAMMERS? Remember the fees you are paying for dental school. A company that is using your name, your face, and your hard work will have to pay not just in scrubs or items that cost them little to make.

It is not just a picture and a post. You will spend hours creating the shot, posting the shot, finding the right caption and then 48 hours of monitoring to maintain engagement. Your fees are based on your degree or the degree you're pursuing, the 48 hours you'll spend on engagement and the stress of the content created, so if you think the value of your time is just a pair of scrubs, then go ahead and do it. You are worth more than what they are paying or not even paying, most of the time.

What I said earlier however comes with an important disclaimer.

Dr. Lucas Shapiro is a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis and Stony Brook University School of Dental Medicine, where he received his Doctor of Dental Surgery. He completed his post-doctoral orthodontic training at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. He currently practices orthodontics at Lemchen Salzer Ortho in NYC. He started the Instagram page @futuredentists, works with the educational organization @ignitedds, and has an orthodontic tiktok page @drshap.

Impact

Reaching for the Power Within

A Dentist's Journey of Overcoming Mental Challenges as a Middle School Dropout Dr. Trent Finley

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NTRO Since the young age of 11, I wandered into strange paths as a kid with no direction. Coming from a financially unstable home with two working parents, understanding my purpose was difficult to come by. Growing up as the middle child and being overshadowed by my older brother who was naturally talented in the art of basketball and a little brother who was known to many as the "angel child," it was hard for me to find myself.

to complete my eighth grade year for the second time due to a sudden move to California, I was forced to drop out of school as it became impossible to gain our legal residence there.

Soon after my 11th birthday, I began to dabble in things that I felt, at the time, were normal experiences for an upcoming teenager.

From drugs and alcohol to gangs and guns, I was set for a life of destruction.

Months later, I decided to get my GED in order to fulfill a requirement to allow myself to go on a church service mission to the northern states of Honduras. It was here that I would spend two years of my life apart from my family and friends and I focused my efforts entirely on helping people with their religious convictions and serving the needy in the areas I was assigned. This mission was monumental in creating a positive environment that fabricated a mindset of success. It was during my time in Honduras that I grew a passion for dentistry as I served as translator for a medical brigade. Watching the dentists who selflessly served and gave new smiles to the people I had grown to love brought me a path to a new life: a life of dentistry.

It wasn't until I reached the age of 15 that I started to realize the rocky path that I was on. My parents divorce around this time was what "woke me up." Although I didn't realize it at the time, going through this moment became one of the most painful experiences of my life as I suddenly watched my family fall apart. The divorce caused a wave of unfortunate events including moving across three states with my mom and little brother to more than 10 different houses in a two year period due to failure to pay rent or lacking the finances to make our monthly expenses. This financial instability and frivolous relocating made it difficult for a child at my age to concentrate on schooling. At the age of 16, having failed

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Struggling through a little less than four months in San Diego, we set ourselves back to New Mexico where I began my path of selfreliance. I knew that I was tired of this life I was living and that a change needed to come, in order to make things better.

At the end of my mission, which was graciously funded by many church members that supported me, making it back to the United States became difficult. Just after two months of arriving in HonDentalEntrepreneur.com

Soon after my 11th birthday, I began to dabble in things that I felt, at the time, were normal experiences for an upcoming teenager.

From drugs and alcohol to gangs and guns, I was set for a life of destruction. duras, I found out through email that my mother was homeless and that my belongings that were placed in storage were gone due to non-payment. Luckily, I had spent many months prior saving Honduran currency to prepare to have enough to make it when I returned. To my surprise, however, after converting my Honduran cash to U.S dollars near the end of my service there, I had only $20 to my name with nothing more than a suitcase full of church clothes and a handbag of scriptures and faith. Fortunately, I was able to make it back to the states because a family—who I had not met—heard of my situation and wanted to help. That family in Utah made it possible for me to prepare and take the ACT in two short months and obtain admittance into the school that cultivated my love for learning: Brigham Young University-Idaho.

After just six months of attending, I met a girl that believed in me and that I admired deeply. We married four months later.

information to pass exams and make it from one class to the next, while also participating and serving in multiple leadership roles for various student organizations and church volunteer positions—it all seemed impossible and overbearing. Yet, after all that I had been through, I made it.

After completing my Associates degree from the University, we moved to Missouri where I worked full time, while concurrently attending school full time, to make ends meet and also fulfill the requirements set out for me to get into dental school. For many of us dentists, this road is hard and something of which we don't wish to relive or remember.

From seeing my older brother move out to follow his basketball dreams, to witnessing the pain of two parents' futures become uncertain, I was forced to act, and act quickly, to avoid a similar lifestyle.

My particular path to dental school was unique by deciding to apply one year earlier than originally anticipated. This required me to set vigorous goals that required me to study for 12 hours a day, six days a week for six months to prepare myself to take the Dental Admissions Test. Having taken just one biology course and one chemistry course prior to taking this admissions exam, I taught myself subjects such as general and organic chemistry, anatomy and physiology, physics, basic and complex math, and had to improve my fourth grade reading level through many different exercises.

I finally made it to dental school but my path of challenges was not over. With three kids, I spent many days juggling studies, family, and church duties. Most of my days and nights were accomplished with less than four hours of sleep. The challenges of comprehending and retaining the overwhelming amount of DentalEntrepreneur.com

Whether you have been through the negative effects of divorced parents, experienced financial hardships, or had been through years of tremendous setbacks like I had, we all have it in us to overcome the challenges of our past to set forth a path of success.

But how do we do it? We hear about these stories all the time but what is the mechanism in which we can use and apply it into our personal and professional lives? I believe there are three main principles that I have used to accomplish success and overcome whatever challenge that comes our way.

POINT 1- LET YOUR PAST BECOME A STRENGTH When talking to my older brother on the phone after an interview at an AEGD residency program, I mentioned that I felt inadequate compared to many of the other applicants because of their vastly different upbringing and traditional lifestyles that I always wish I had growing up. His response is something that I have embraced and tried to live by that has caused me to refocus my vision. He said, "Trent, stop looking at your past as a crutch. Use your past experience as a strength. You have been through things many have never and will never go through. You have conquered many challenges. Embrace them and use them to prove to yourself and to others that nothing is impossible."

Ever since that day, I have become more and more comfortable with embracing my unique upbringing to inspire others. Life is not easy. Going through these first few years of starting my career as a dentist has been anything but natural and comfortable. But Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 29

when we look back at our lives during trying times and see what we already have accomplished or conquered, we then will soon realize that what challenges await us are minor speed bumps along the path to success that will turn us into who we were meant to become.

POINT 3- STAY TEACHABLE This last principle is key among those that wish to learn and grow.

Take it from one of the greatest motivational leaders of all time, Tony Robbins. Robbins says that "progress equals happiness.

While achievements and material things may excite you for the moment, the only thing that’s going to make you happy longterm is knowing that you’re making progress." Since I was young, I always tried to recognize that I knew very little and have always strived to learn and grow from people I admire most. This attitude stayed with me throughout dental school as I realized that even though I may have been a top notch student in college among my peers, by entering into a professional program where the "cream of the crop" resided, I quickly felt inadequate and not good enough.

This kept me hungry, however, to learn and grow to achieve the same level of skill and confidence my dental peers had. Even upon graduating from dental school and my recently completed general practice residency, I have come to the realization of how little I actually know, compared to the vast amount of increasing knowledge there is to learn from. But, unlike my mindset of depression I had in the past, where such a realization would have put me in a state of feeling overwhelmed, causing me to shut down and give up, it now has become the primary motivator behind my reason to continue to educate myself and improve my skills every single day.

POINT 2- ALWAYS TRY TO GET BETTER Ever since I was a teenager, I found that I have been inspired by the many stories of people that came from nothing and accomplished their dreams through hard work and perseverance. Among those I admire most is the one and only, Kobe Bryant. This star athlete made a task of becoming the best basketball player he could be into a set lifestyle. He would say that, "I wanted to be one of the best basketball players to ever play and anything else that was outside of that lane, I didn't have time for." He focused his whole life on a lifestyle mindset that he coined, called the "Mamba Mentality." It means to be able to constantly try to be the best version of yourself. That is something that is a commonality among all the major athletes, superstars, and tech gurus. They look at every day as a blessing and another opportunity to push their limits and achieve their goals.

CONCLUSION Life is difficult. For many of us, it becomes a constant challenge just to get up in the morning and put on our clothes. Realizing that we are not alone in this journey of becoming good clinicians has helped me tremendously as I have struggled with feelings of inadequacy and failure. By using the mistakes and failures you have made in your past, always striving to improve yourself, and staying teachable, you can find happiness and peace in your life.

Like many of you, I wear many hats—the hat of a father, a clinician, a church member, a husband, and a friend. I have felt the pain that comes from feeling overwhelmed with feelings of inadequacy and failure. But as we chart our progress, we can easily look back, as I have, and discover how far we have come in this journey we call life. And by doing so, we can find value in ourselves and inspire others along the way.

This mentality has been key to me as a child who battled major depression for many years. As a teenager with no set vision, thoughts of suicide and worthlessness often flooded my mind and caused a whirlwind of emotions, which resulted in making bad choices. It wasn't until I entered the path of Christian discipleship that I started understanding my own personal value and what kind of influence I could have on others by changing the path my life was heading. By setting my vision and mission to become the best version of myself, I have blinders on that keep me from competing with anybody else and comparing myself with others.

This vision helps me to challenge myself to constantly improve.

With this goal always in my mind, I have found peace as I have discovered my strengths and my personal value as a young kid who came from nothing and made a life for myself, my wife, and three wonderful children.

Dr. Trent Finley was born in Texas but spent most of his childhood in central New Mexico.

In 2011, he attended Brigham Young University, Idaho where he met his spouse, Ashley. Dr. Finley is an active member of the American Dental Association, the Missouri Dental Association, the Academy of General Dentistry, the Academy of LDS Dentists, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. He is currently earning his Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry. Dr. Finley has three wonderful children, Rory, Tanner, and Aiden. In his spare time, he enjoys working on his professional photography and videography projects, going on bike rides with his family, and doing intense workouts at the gym.

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Disadvantaged families are facing increased barriers to dental care.

Every child should have access to preventive dental services.

With financial support and product donations from 3M Oral Care, last year our nonprofit program members were empowered to go above and beyond to provide fluoride varnish treatment to more than 144,000 kids in need. The care they received did more than prevent tooth decay—it set them on a path for a healthier future. Thank you, 3M!

Together, we can create a future where every child has a healthy smile!

Visit AmericasToothFairy.org to join our movement to eliminate children’s suffering from pediatric dental disease and improve the quality of life for underserved kids.

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Impact

8 Ways to Crush Dental School David Rice, DDS

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ver feel like this dental school thing is wearing you down? If your immediate reaction was a hard yes, you’re not alone. Here’s the upside, if all of us survived, you will too. Dental school is as much a game of endurance as it is anything else. So, when your energy tank is almost on empty, and gas feels too expensive to refuel, in honor of March Madness, focus on the elite 8 below and I promise, you’ll crush dental school before it crushes you. #1: REMEMBER WHY YOU WANTED IT You may not want to believe it, but life beyond dental school brings peaks and valleys too. And just like dental school, the peaks are awesome; the valleys…not so much.

Here’s the secret.

Know exactly why you wanted to go to dental school in the first place Hold that why near and dear Whenever you hit a valley, bust out that why Peaks are fun. Getting out of the valleys is even more fun when you have a strategy. #2: EYE ON THE PRIZE Now that you’re focused on why you went to dental school in the first place, I want you to focus on EVERY win you anticipate once you graduate. It may sound trivial, but it is impossible to focus on the opposite of what you want and expect to get what you want.

There’s tons of science to support that, FYI. Need some help?

amazing people.

You will, at worst, be a top 10% earner in the US. Most of you will be in the top 5%. If you really do it right, you’ll be in the top 1%.

Dental school, like all less-than-ideal times, will pass. Your future is insanely incredible. #3: WORK THOSE TYPODONT SKILLS Success as a dentist requires you to have great vision and hand skills to bring that vision to life. It takes 10,000 hours on average to develop mastery. The more reps you get in as a student, the closer you get to mastery and the goodness that comes with it.

Key moves that top 1% earners made early: Maximize every patient opportunity.

Whenever a patient cancels or no shows, assist another student.

Whenever the first two above don’t pan out, prep that typodont. #4: STOP SEEKING SHORTCUTS It’s human nature to want the fastest path. That said, here’s a life truism: Just because you can doesn’t mean you should. Remember that 10,000 hour thing above? It’s legit. Aside from that, you’re paying BIG money to go to dental school. Once you leave, your patients will be paying you BIG money for their care.

Guess what they want?

Your A+ game on day one Your A+ game on day two Your A+ game every day

You will make a difference in thousands of people’s lives.

You’ll work in an amazing environment, with amazing hours, and

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Squeeze every bit of learning you can out of your tuition dollars.

Great CE after school will put your tuition to shame. The better DentalEntrepreneur.com

your game upon graduation, the faster and more predictable that top 1% becomes. #5: DITCH THE DOWNERS Repeat after me. Likes attract likes. It is 100% the reason your parents kept you away from the bad kid(s) in your neighborhood…eventually they would have rubbed off on you. The same goes for negative people—in and out of dental school. Slowly and surely, they chip away at the good energy that fuels your happiness and success.

Pro tips: STOP going to Facebook groups that find the problems with dental schools, boards, insurance companies, and everything else in the world.

STOP spending time with classmates who do the same.

Lastly—this is a hard one—STOP spending time with family who do the same in whatever life stuff they talk about.

I’m not saying this will be easy at first. I am saying it will be worth it. #6: SURROUND YOURSELF WITH SUCCESS So the whole likes attract likes thing works in incredibly positive ways too! If you want to be a top 10%er…surround yourself with them. If you want to be a top 5%er…1%er…I think you get it. The key in dentistry is to understand every element. In other words, there are different practice models that land you in every category. So… Who do you want to be?

A top 10…5…1%er in a traditional practice A top 10…5…1%er in a DSO A top 10…5…1%er using your degree in a non-clinical way They ALL work. See #1: Why did you want dentistry in the first place? From there, learn WHO your best likes are. Lastly, when you need help finding them, just ask. 28 years of dentistry has helped me know all of them—anywhere in the US and plenty of places outside the US.

The key is to pick yourself up. I’m going to reference #1 again (there’s a reason it’s #1, if you haven’t figured that out yet).

The scoop: Everyone peaks.

Everyone falls.

Those that dust themselves off and pick themselves up the quickest…

Get out of the valleys fastest. If you’re inherently excellent at picking yourself up, fantastic. Help a friend who finds that more difficult. If it’s really hard for you to pick yourself back up, find that fantastic friend who has an easier time. I promise, as long as you’re positive most of the time, you have much to offer them, just in different ways. #8: HABITS WIN The first seven of our eight ways to crush dental school are in theory—amazing. That said, your ability to consistently work on them defines your happiness and success. The right daily habits are what create the consistency you need.

So… Build a daily routine that supports each of the above.

Enter it into your smart phone’s calendar.

Set alarms to remind you, so they EACH happen.

You have a choice. You can crush dental school. You just need to choose to.

Together We Rise!

David Rice, DDS, is on a mission to improve our profession by leading the next generation of dentists to grow successful lives and practices. The founder of igniteDDS, Dr. Rice speaks to over 35 dental schools and residency programs a year on practice building, team building and wealth building. Dr. Rice is a private practitioner, educator, author, and mentor who connects students, young dentists, and professionals from diverse dental-related businesses, “fueling passion beyond the classroom.” https://ignitedds.com/user/david_rice/ @igniteDDS

#7: FAILING IS JUST FALLING Really important take-home: When you’re feeling like sh#*, you are normal and you are NOT failing. You’re just falling down.

DentalEntrepreneur.com

Dental Entrepreneur Spring 2022 33

WINTER 2022

Spring 2022

When It Comes To Sustainability, We Must Work Together As An Industry To Drive The Change

Leading With Her Heart Dr. Victoria Peterson & Dr. Maggie Augustyn

Please, Listen to Your Gut!

Dentsply Sirona

Mary Fisher-Day

Reality: Entrepreneurial Rest Required

How to Find and Leverage Talent You Already Have Christopher Sortman, DDS

Corinne Jameson-Kuehl

Stronger Together

The Power of Team Culture

Dr. Sharon Parsons

Serving Dentistry With An Entrepreneurial Spirit

Chrissy Ford

Dr. Laura Mach

DeW Spring 2022

De Winter 2022

Index of Advertisers ADS Dental Transitions South……………………………………………………………....................................23 CareStack................................................................................................................................................................23 Henry Schein Nationwide ......................................................................................................................................35 Patterson Dental.....................................................................................................................................................2,3 Patterson Dental......................................................................................................................................................23 Productive Dentist Academy...................................................................................................................................19 Tooth Fairy..............................................................................................................................................................31

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Find an Associateship (at no cost)!

Dental Jobs

Henry Schein Dental Recruitment Services understands the job search challenges you may be facing. That is why we identify ideal opportunities for Associates to enter the dental profession or further advance their careers at no cost to the candidate!

Our recruiters provide Curriculum Vitae and cover letter writing assistance, as needed and will take the time to ensure that the practices you are interested in meet your specific needs and professional goals.

To get started with your Associateship search, call 866-885-5058 or create a candidate profile on DentalRecruitmentServices.com. www.dentalrecruitmentservices.com

© 2022 Henry Schein, Inc. No copying without permission. Not responsible for typographical errors.

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