Oral Health Office October 2013 by Annex Business Media

oralhealth

OFFICE w w w. o r a l h e a l t h g r o u p. c o m

OCTOBER 2013

PEAK PERFORMER

PROFILES +

The Art & Science of Dental Office Design

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Dr. Ryan Lacoursière Certified Specialist in Orthodontics B.Sc., D.M.D., M.Sc. (Ortho), FRCD(C)

LET’S TALK

BUSINESS. We’re helping make successful practices more successful. Find out how at HealthyPracticeNow.ca

Dr. Ryan Lacoursière has not been compensated to appear in this ad.

We mean business.

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oralhealth

OFFICE w w w. o r a l h e a l t h g r o u p. c o m

Features PEAK PERFORMERS MARKETING

8 Peak Performers Are Engaged in a Sales-Minded Culture Dan Pisek

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT

16 Preparing for Tomorrow Today

thinkstockphotos.com

Jordan Soll, BSc, (Hon.), DDS, Dip. ABAD OFFICE DESIGN

14 Bloor West Dental 22 Cameron Orthodontics 26 Dental Care FINANCE

30 Combating Embezzlement:

What Works & What Doesn’t David Harris, CFE

33 How to Build Net Worth for Successful Dentists

thinkstockphotos.com

Mike Lakhani, B.Comm., FCCA, CGA. CFP, RFP TECHNOLOGY

38 Technology Tools for Peak Performers Craig Wilson

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

42 What Will Your Legacy Be? Mariana Bracic, BA (Hons), JD

Departments

Editorial: Aging Population: Diaster Ahead?

News Briefs: A GD Gala, OutRank by Rogers, IDEM Singapore 2014

Dental Marketplace

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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IS THE FUTURE OF YOUR SOFTWARE

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Editorial

C atherine Wilson, E ditor

I ...how is it that we have planned, effective immunization programmes for children... but nothing of the sort for aging adults?

Aging Population Explosion – Disaster Ahead?

n the year 2000, approximately 605 million people were 60 years or older. By 2050, that number is expected to be close to two billion. At that time, seniors will outnumber children 14 and under for the first time in history. The increase in seniors is not limited to North America; In many other countries, the population is also aging. According to the US-based Administration on Aging (AoA), this increase can be attributed to ‘advances in science, technology and medicine leading to reductions in infant and maternal mortality, reductions in infectious and parasitic diseases, occupational safety measures and improvements in nutrition and education.’ The Global AgeWatch Index 2013 (globalagewatch.org) is reportedly the first ever tool to measure the quality of life and wellbeing of older people around the world. It aims to respond to the urgent need to tackle the poverty and discrimination faced by the growing numbers of older people across the globe and is demonstrating just how much there is to do. About Canada, the Index reports that we have a total population of 34.8 million. The population over 60 is 7.2 million or almost 21 percent. In 2011, an estimated 5 million were 65 or older, a number expected to double in the next 25 years. Canada’s Retirement Income System is intended to fulfill two objectives: reduce the incidence of low income in old age and enable older people to maintain a reasonable living standard in retirement. Our ‘Medicare’ system, albeit flawed and under intense pressures, provides access to universal, comprehensive coverage for necessary hospital and physician services.

According to the Index, Japan is the only country where 30 percent of the population is over 60, by 2050, 64 countries will join this club including Russia, Ukraine, Vietnam, Jordan and Nicaragua. In other countries such as Eritrea, Kenya and Cameroon, the population of younger people (under 15) will decline between 2012 and 2050, but still remain high (around 30 percent) at the same time the proportion over 60 years will also grow to around eight to nine percent. Clearly, a complete rethink of ‘cradleto-grave’ is required. Take just one example from the Global AgeWatch people who report that 60-80 percent of people over 60 in India, Ghana and South Africa have hypertension but only five percent receive treatment. How is it that we now have planned, effective immunization programmes for children — a commendable achievement of public health in many countries — but nothing of the sort for aging adults? It’s not all gloom and doom; according to Selling to Seniors, a monthly marketing report, people 50 and over control 77 percent of all financial assets in the US, own almost 50 percent of all credit cards, and account for more than 50 percent of discretionary spending power…2.5 times the average per capita. Politically, the US Census Bureau says that 72 percent of all Americans aged 65 to 74 voted in the 2000 presidential election, the highest rate of any age group. Clearly, new plans, laws and budgets are needed but are governments prepared to do the heavy lifting, the forward-thinking and the money-allotting to alleviate what could be a looming disaster? Time waits for no man….

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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6 News A BUSINESS INFORMATION GROUP PUBLICATION

Canadian AGD Hosts Its First Ever Gala

On the evening of September 7, 2013, over 400 general dentists and guests flocked to the first ever Canadian AGD Gala. Canada AGD is part of the National Academy of General Dentistry, an organization of over 38,000 members who help dentists continue to strive for excellence in patient treatment. This years casino theme had AGD members stroll down the red carpet and pose for a photo-op on an evening that magnified all the glitz, glamour and excitement that Monte Carlo is famous for. The Canadian AGD organized this gala event at no charge for its members as a chance to show appreciation for all of the general dentists who are part of and support the AGD. It was an opportunity to develop an event that was purely fun and social, where AGD board and members could dress up, mingle and take pleasure in an elegant night out.

Your Smile – Now With More Options

If your teeth have been straightened in the last 20 years, the odds are high that an orthodontist did the procedure, but new techniques may change who performs these procedures in the future. OutRank by Rogers has been tracking this change in dental care. Their office helped hundreds of dentists and orthodontists connect with patients through live bidding on Google Adwords and in 2012, their team handled over five million patient searches relating to dental procedures. To date, 34% of dentistry partners are optimizing their advertising for search words like ‘Invisalign, invisible braces, aligners, and smile correction’. A large part of this change is being driven by the ease of integrating these kinds of procedures into a dental practice. For a system such as Invisalign, a dentist can assess alignment issues and create molds of patients’ teeth, techniques that are already common in dental practices. These molds are then sent to a lab where 10 to 20 sets of retainers are created. Requiring no new tools or additional staff, systems like this represent a low barrier way for dentists to generate new business. http://www.oralhealthgroup.com /news/your-smile-now-with-moreoptions/ 1002606701/

IDEM Singapore 2014

IDEM 2014 Singapore (International Dental Exhibition and Meeting) is widely considered to be one of the premier dental industry trade shows and conferences for the fast growing Asian market. Early sign-ups by North American dental manufacturers indicate a strong interest from companies seeking to expand their sales into the Pacific Rim region. The 8th edition of IDEM will take place from April 4-6, 2014. Product groups at the show cover the entire spectrum of dental medicine and dental technology — from materials and instruments, prophylaxis products, pharmaceuticals to dental surgery and laboratory equipment. A top-notch scientific conference program will provide detailed information on the latest in scientific trends. The conference organizer is the Singapore Dental Assocation. For more information on IDEM Singapore 2014, visit http://www.idemsingapore.com/.

Editorial Director: Catherine Wilson 416-510-6785 cwilson@oralhealthgroup.com Editorial Assistant: Jillian Cecchini 416-442-5600, ext. 3207 jcecchini@oralhealthgroup.com Art Direction: Andrea M. Smith Production Manager: Phyllis Wright Circulation: Cindi Holder Advertising Services: Karen Samuels 416-510-5190 karens@bizinfogroup.ca Consumer Ad Sales: Barb Lebo 905-709-2272 barblebo@rogers.com Classified Advertising: Karen Shaw 416-510-6770 kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com Dental Group Assistant: Kahaliah Richards 416-510-6777 krichards@oralhealthgroup.com Account Manager: Tony Burgaretta 416-510-6852 tburgaretta@oralhealthgroup.com Associate Publisher: Hasina Ahmed 416-510-6765 hahmed@oralhealthgroup.com Senior Publisher: Melissa Summerfield 416-510-6781 msummerfield@oralhealthgroup.com Vice President/ Canadian Publishing: Alex Papanou President/ Business Information Group: Bruce Creighton OFFICES Head Office: 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Telephone 416-442-5600, Fax 416-510-5140. Oral Health Office is printed twice in 2013 and is designed to provide the entire dental team with business management information to make practices more successful. Articles dealing with investment planning, personal finances, scheduling and collection procedures, in addition to lifestyle issues, are geared to all practicing Canadian dentists, hygienists, dental assistants and office managers. Please address all submissions to: The Editor, Oral Health Office, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Subscription rates: Canada $28.95 for 1 year; $43.95 for 2 years; USA $31.95 for 1 year; Foreign $49.95 for 1 year; Single copy $19.00. Printed in Canada. All rights reserved. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced either in part or in full without the written consent of the copyright owner. From time to time we make our subscription list available to select companies and organizations whose product or service may interest you. If you do not wish your contact information to be made available, please contact us via one of the following methods: Phone: 1-800-668-2374; Fax: 416-442-2191; E-mail: privacyofficer@businessinformationgroup.ca; Mail to: Privacy Officer, Business Information Group, 80 Valleybrook Drive, Toronto, ON M3B 2S9. Canada Post product agreement No. 40069240. Oral Health Office is published twice in 2013 by Glacier BIG Publication Holdings Ltd., a leading Canadian information campany with interests in daily and community newspapers and business-to-business information services. ISSN 2291-1448 (PRINT) ISSN 2291-1456 (ONLINE)

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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A Splash of Brilliance

It all started with one sonic toothbrush. A lot has changed since then, but one thing’s stayed the same — from Sonicare to Zoom, we never stop seeking out ways to make your patients smile.

philipsoralhealthcare.com (800) 278-8282 © 2013 Philips Oral Healthcare, Inc. All rights reserved. PHILIPS and the Philips shield are trademarks of Koninklijke Philips N.V. Sonicare, the Sonicare logo, DiamondClean, FlexCare Platinum, FlexCare, FlexCare+, ProResults, Sonicare For Kids and AirFloss are trademarks of Philips Oral Healthcare. All other trademarks are property of Discus Dental, LLC.

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8 Peak Performers | Marketing

PEAK PERFORMERS are engaged in a

Sales-Minded Culture Dan Pisek

and then pull the trigger to engage in marketing. They are very reactive in their approach to marketing, there is no budget or plan, and they act based on an immediate and single need that needs to be satisfied.

1. The Dabblers These are dental practices that wait for a certain need to present itself, or are having a slow period,

2. The Marketers These are dental practices that see marketing as an investment in the bigger picture of their practice. They have a marketing objective, a marketing budget, and want a planned approach to their activity. They also understand that strategic marketing begins with having a good foundation — which includes having the right practice brand identity and the right internet marketing strategy in place.

ost dental offices now understand the importance of strategic marketing as it relates to growing the practice and its overall business success. With that being said, return on investment is something that needs to be understood and managed along the way. In my experience with initial telephone “Discovery Call” meetings, the way that most dental practices currently manage their marketing usually falls into one of these three categories:

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Peak Performers | Marketing

3. The Peak Performers Strategic marketing plays a key role in sparking revenue opportunities. The next generation of dental practice marketing includes a “sales” component. When practices begin to integrate a selling component into their marketing strategy, only then will they be able to convert more revenue-building opportunities into making the register ring. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to consult on and lead sales and marketing programs for countless dental practices, and have worked with some real “peak performers” along the way. Here are five of the most simple, yet very effective “best sales and marketing practices,” I have seen in action to deliver very impressive results:

TAKE THE LEAD TO INSTALL A SALES-ORIENTED CULTURE

As a practice owner, you are also an entrepreneur. You are the one who needs to set the tone for the type of practice you want and the type of people working on your team. You want to be working with a team that is engaged, supports your vision, and embraces your business-building ideas. This also means you being receptive to new and innovative ideas. If the business is comfortable and has been doing well for a number of years, this does not guarantee a successful future. Case In Point: Dr. R. has a very successful dental practice where he has surrounded himself with a team of seven that clearly understand his style, his approach, and his vision. He has empowered his office manager to be his marketing point person and co-leader. The two of them work together to set the tone for the practice’s culture, and inspire their staff to live and breathe a sales approach every day. Every time I visit this client of mine, I am impressed by their commitment to adopt this approach, and by the confidence they exude at all levels.

REGULAR TEAM MEETINGS

In any business, “team communication” plays a vital role in achieving success. Regular team meetings allow you to reinforce your vision for a successful practice and provide an ideal opportunity to exchange information and data, patient behaviour patterns and opinions, competitive research, success stories, areas of improvement, new opportunities, and ideas. Case In Point: Dr. L. and I had recent-

ly worked together to re-launch his dental practice. He has a great leadership style, and a team that is engaged in helping move the practice forward. As a group, they are all on board with having regular meetings to discuss the strategic direction and marketing of the practice. Being invited to join their collaborative sessions on a few occasions, I was amazed at how each meeting was always productive and had everyone involved making their own unique contribution.

RELATIONSHIP SELLING

Working in the sales and marketing arena for over twenty years, I have seen many different selling styles in action. During my first days at FCM sales was about cold calling. The selling opportunity that presently exists in many dental practices is the opposite: it’s about “relationship selling.” All that is required are two simple steps: engage patients in the right discussions, and really listen for the selling opportunities. Once opportunities have been identified, your practice team needs to capture them, and move them along to the next step. Case In Point: Mary is the hygienist working in one of our client dental offices. She knows how to work the “relationship selling” technique fast and furious. Firstly, Mary is always smiling and knows how to engage people in conversation. She also knows how to really listen and makes the most of an opportunity when it presents itself. I have seen her in action numerous times and can see that she takes great satisfaction in sparking a meeting for a patient with her treatment coordinator.

BE READY AND ABLE TO CLOSE

With every marketing discussion, we naturally explore response rates and return on investment. What really needs to be understood is that the role of marketing is to drive a good response. This means getting people to take notice and getting them to take action. In many cases, the next step is about driving potential patients to visit your website, which may lead to a call to your office. At this point, the marketing has done its job and delivered a number of new patient opportunity prospects. Now the selling ability must come into play to convert these opportunities into new patients with scheduled appointments. Doing this well is a specialized skill and can dramatically improve numbers associated with each campaign.

Dan Pisek is the Co-Founder and President of Full Contact Marketing (FCM), a firm that has consulted and facilitated work with more than 1,000 health related practices across Canada and the United States. With a focus on having a good game plan and a team approach to marketing, Dan takes the role of “Practice Marketing Coach” in working with entrepreneurial minded practice owners to help them realize their full revenue potential. www. fullcontactmarketing.ca

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10 Peak Performers | Marketing

Case In Point: A week before Dr. J.’s local community mailer campaign was scheduled to begin, he had expressed a concern about his front desk’s ability to close prospective new patient calls. I then placed a “Mystery Call” into his office to test Jenny and her abilities. While she was engaging, genuine and spoke very well about the practice, she did not make one attempt to close me and get me on their schedule. After briefing Dr. J. on my findings, Jenny was given some sales training and has become much more confident with the techniques she needed to close such opportunities.

REFERRAL PROGRAM

Every practice agrees they want to see more new business realized by referrals. An effective referral program begins with a proactive message informing your patients that you are growing the practice, welcoming new patients and really appreciate it when they introduce your practice to a prospective family member or friend. Once the referred patient has been realized, there is an acknowledgement or sim-

ple thank you to the referring patient. Your approach with this program should be simple and consistent. Case In Point: At Dr. P.’s practice, the referral program is working in high gear. Every day begins with a morning huddle, where the team looks at the activity for the day, including which patients will be visiting the office that day. From this daily patient list, three patients are identified for a “referral discussion” and a specific team member is assigned to make it happen. Growing any small business today is about having an open mind to new ideas. Realizing peak performance with a dental practice today is not simply about having a marketing approach, but having a sales and marketing approach working together in harmony. For many of the people working in dental practices, the idea of having to work in a “sales culture” is a hard sell in itself. Perhaps it’s time for your practice to get out of its comfort zone and really push the envelope and your practice success forward.

Growing any small business today is about having an open mind to new ideas

You can change a kid's life! BEFORE

AFTER

Volunteer at www.TomorrowsSMILES.org We have teens that need your help! Volunteer to provide donated dental services for promising at-risk youth and help restore their conndence along with their smile! For information about Canada's ToothFairy, please visit www.CanadasToothFairy.org or call (800) 559-9838. OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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ADVERTORIAL

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OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Your Path to Paperless Practice

Improved efficiency and productivity are just the beginning... ABELDent’s paperless solution frees up physical space, saves hours of file manipulation and improves the quality of your records. An integrated online Patient Portal takes it a step further, virtually eliminating the time consuming daily task of appointment confirmation phone calls. It allows patients to interact using the method that is most convenient for them. Everyone benefits.

* More efficient, paperless, workflow from day one * Enhanced decision support and patient engagement * More complete, secure records * Superior support for your changing practice needs over time

ABELDent empowers you to better achieve your practice goals using the data already in your system. It's our dedication to helping you make data-supported business decisions that makes ABELDent stand apart.

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Join the thousands of Canadian Dentists who rely on ABELDent to maximize their success.

* Around-the-clock technical support

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Visit us at the Toronto Academy’s 76th Winter Clinic on Nov. 8th — Booth 428

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info@abeldent.com

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14 Peak Performers | Office Design

Design marries

TECH&TRANQUILITY Results and Benefits Achieved

The client group, Bloor West Dental Group, and the designers shared a common goal of wanting to create a calm, welcoming and technologically-advanced dental facility. An existing one-storey building, which included a lower level, was completely renovated and transformed into a modern dental practice with five operatories and six hygiene rooms. The reception is visually connected to the street through tall, clear, tempered glass panels. A copper clad canopy marks the entry. The walnut reception desk is a curvilinear sculptured piece which welcomes patients as they enter the space. A new skylight was incorporated into the centre of the building to add generous amounts of natural light. The seating area is spacious and bright while the operatories are compact and efficient. The operatories were ergonomically-designed to allow the dentists to move with ease from the patient’s chair to their instruments. Acoustic control has been provided

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Peak Performers | Office Design

Statement of Project Bloor West Dental Group, Dr. Carolyn Poon Woo Objectives To design a tranquil, sustainable, technologically advanced dental office Start-Up September 2011 Completion December 2012 Project Team Interior Designer Southside Design Architect G. Bruce Stratton Architects Structural Engineer Halsall Associates Ltd. Mechanical Engineer Integrated Engineering Electrical Engineer Integrated Engineering Contractor Brown Daniels Associates

Y by incorporating recessed walnut veneer acoustic panels directly over the dental chairs. A key challenege of the project was to seamlessly integrate numerous technological requirements into the facility while at the same time maintaining a tranquil, patient-friendly atmosphere. Hidden from view are lead lined walls to protect against x-ray transmission, nitrous oxide tanks and lines, multiple compressor units required to operate dental instruments and extensive structural support for microscopes. Lab and sterilization areas were also thoughtfully integrated into both the main floor and basement level. Walnut veneer millwork, doors and frames, quartz countertops, Owen Sound limestone, back-painted glass and coloured 3form acrylic panels in the ceiling over the reception area make up the finish palette for the project. Light sources include energy efficient T5 lamps, metal halide and MR16s for accent lighting. Bloor West Dental Group has chosen not only to practice dentistry at a high level but also to provide patients with a pleasant, comfortable and refined interior environment that gives new meaning to patient dental care.

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16 Peak Performers | Practice Management

PREPARING for

TOMORROW

TODAY

Jordan Soll, DDS

Gretchen Ruben, an American author, said “The days are long, but the years are short” and as a dentist pondering their longevity in practice this phrase is very apt. As the years pass it is not long before your career begins to wind down and you wonder if the time was spent productively. Personal demands of feeding, educating, and clothing your children, as well as providing for your own lifestyle choices and saving for retirement, have put enormous demands on the productivity of your practice. Dentistry, despite what many practice management gurus — many who have never run a practice — say, is very demanding and overwhelming. Regulatory requirements, government regulations and competition for new patients can be very daunting. This past July, many were initially surprised at the mega deal between grocery giant Loblaws friendly take over bid of national drug store chain Shoppers Drug Mart. At first look the marriage would have seemed unlikely or even impracticable, but closer inspection reveals the synergies that can be leveraged between the two. The benefits are numerous and some of the reasons are as follows: 1) Ensure a strong competitive position over U.S. retail giants Walmart and Target. 2) Allow each to save on economies of scale by leveraging their vast distribution networks. 3) A s retail real estate becomes more costly and

less available, Loblaws will have access to vast established locations, that are close to consumers, that simply are not available to a large grocery store format. 4) T he crown jewel is also the synergy of joining Loblaws President’s Choice branding with Shoppers immensely successful 10 million strong Optimum Points data base. As I read everything that I could about this blockbuster deal, I reflected on how I could learn from this and determine if there were any tidbits of information that I could apply to my practice that would ensure its continued success in the future. By observing how the “big boys” do it, we often can see an opportunity in our own world that wasn’t obvious a short time before. Similar to the consumer market place in Canada, and in its own way, dentistry is under going incredible changes internally and externally. These changes serve to remind us that it has never been more important to be forward thinking with, for many, our most important asset. We practice as fragments in an industry that collectively is a multi-billion dollar business. No matter if you practice as a solo practioner, a member of a group practice or part of a multi office/chain commercialized healthcare model, it is imperative that forward planning for your practice occurs. This vision can take many forms, whether it is ensuring that you maximize the benefits of your location,

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Peak Performers | Practice Management

complete branding of your practice, having the required clinical skills to meet consumer demands or, like the motive behind Loblaws, utilizing your internal strengths to ensure maximum productivity. In dentistry your internal strength lies with the effective use and information provided by your internal software system. Until recently, attention to internal hardware/software systems were not really espoused in practice management discussions except to acknowledge that all successful practices required a form of computerization, though there are some that are still not. However, as digitalization has enveloped our lives from the way we listen to music, take and view photographs, and conduct business and commerce, we cannot escape the trend that civilization is moving towards. As such, for those in dentistry who want to simply keep up with current business practices, the “Chartless Office” is rapidly becoming a way of life. Moreover, as the level of digitization penetrating the modern dental office is rapidly increasing, the significance of software management is imperative. I began my practice in 1986 and by 1990 I took the first huge step into computerization of the management side of my office. The entering of patient information was done gradually, but it was not long before our two front desk, big box monitors were completing all of the functions that were required at the time. In 1993, the next step was to place monitors in each operatory to enhance and streamline efficiencies in patient management. Over the years we slowly grew from the original two monitors at the front desk to today where we have a central server and 17 terminals. As I am not technically inclined, this growth occurred as a result of relying on my capable office manager working in conjunction with our software vendor, ABELDent Inc., to ensure that we continuously benefitted from the system enhancements that were developed as my practice grew. Consequently to prepare for the future trends in dentistry, going “chartless” was a most logical evolution in our growth. This trend is already strong in the medical industry and, as the world goes “green,” it simply cannot be ignored. Some of the benefits for a chartless office are: 1) Frees up floor space for more productive uses. 2) Reduces manpower hours in pulling and

filing charts and never having to look for misplaced charts. 3) Cost savings in purchasing of charts, paper and associated tags. 4) Reduces your carbon foot print. 5) O ver time as old charts are destroyed, physical chart storage of former patients will have reduced costs and space requirements. 6) Will enhance the value of a practice at transition time. 7) W ith the ability of programs such as ABEL Mobile, for those who have the need, they can retrieve all patient information from their laptop/tablet whereever they may be. 8) Creation of treatment plans can be easily recorded and monitored by the business staff. 9) Removes the problems of illegible note taking among different providers. 10) Creates a more efficient work environment among team members, and will serve to set a practice apart when new and younger applicants are looking for a fulfilling work experience. It is my observation that the most important element in moving a practice to chartless is the commitment to do so. Our office used the lazy days of summer to make the jump. With the technical support of the ABEL team, our transition was achieved in the following fashion. 1) Discussions with ABEL support to advise our goals and timelines. 2) As our current hardware was approaching six years, I decided to update my server and work stations so that the increased storage and usage would not be a burden to my system. 3) A full day with an ABEL trainer to review with my team members the potential of the software and identify the “pearls” within the program to ensure they were able to fully leverage the program. To ensure complete confidence with all team members, after working with the information and techniques from the first training session, a follow up training session was undertaken to answer any outstanding questions and refine our skills. 4) Hiring of an approved business service to scan the respective charts to each patient’s e-file. With the total commitment of my staff, in

Check out the video of Jordan Soll’s paperless office on www.oralhealthgroup. com

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18 Peak Performers | Practice Management

Photo credit: Dr. Abbas Naqvi

Dr. Jordan Soll is a Diplomate on the American Board of Esthetic Dentistry and Co-Chair of the Editorial Board of Oral Health.

conjunction with ABEL being dedicated to seeing us succeed quickly, the evolution of patient documentation for our office was extremely smooth. Now complete, we have set our sites on integrating ABEL Portal which will allow our patients to interact online with our office to update their personal information (including vital health changes), request and confirm appointments and, if we desire, our patients can also view their financial accounts. In addition, the advent of ABEL Mobile will allow key members of our staff to access our office software via a web-based portal so that they can utilize the system from any location just as if they were in the office. The benefit to a web-based portal is that if you lose your laptop/tablet, there’s no proprietary software or security issues to be concerned about. In further discussions with my ABEL representative, I was excited to learn about some of the enhancements that will be coming to make our patients’ experience with our office more rewarding as well as enhancing our user experience. Some of these improvements include; 1) Improvement of the capture of clinical information. Improvements in workflow related to the capture and viewing of clinical data. This will include improvements in usability, security, workflow flexibility and the use of predictive logic to assist in data capture and use. The Charting, Perio Charting, Image Management, Medications, referrals and treatment planning features will all provide additional functionality and improved usability and integration. 2) Maximization of treatment opportunity. A variety of new features and improvements designed to maximize treatment opportunities and productivity. This includes new capabilities and enhancements in contact/appointment management, treatment planning /follow-up, patient communication and referrals. This includes new management capabilities

and reporting and use of past data to predict future opportunities and behaviour. 3) Patient engagement. Processes, tools and services that promote greater patient /practice engagement, solidification of patient / practice relationships and practice growth. This includes features and functionality but also greater use of mobile technologies, social media and other web-based platforms for communication and engagement. Portal is one such example but this is only a starting point. 4) M ulti-device support. Taking advantage of the variety of device types and platforms and the strengths and opportunities of each. Rather than just scaling traditional dental software to fit on everything from large-format PC screens, tablets, phones and specialized devices, this involves the use of specific, limited functionality interfaces that are very well suited to a specific device type. Some examples are the check-in kiosk designed for a touch screen, survey / form entry on a tablet and mobile phone specific interfaces for appointment confirmation. 5) Mobility and multi-location support. Greater support for practice and patient mobility, as well as patient care and practice management across multiple locations. This includes full and partial cloud-based solutions, improved interoperability between practices and enterprise-level functionality. 6) Infrastructure and platform protection and support. Products and services that provide a greater level of support for the technology that is playing a greater role in the practice. Examples include automated online backup, backup verification and integrity checking, disaster recovery planning and business continuity planning services. By taking a serious and comprehensive look at how you manage your patient business interactions, you may determine that there are areas where you are no longer current. As you are as diligent with patient treatment, it would follow that the process continues in a 360 degree fashion allowing you and your team to operate your practice in the most efficient manner. Just as Loblaws set out to “prepare for tomorrow today,” so too can you, so that you can harvest the rewards in the years to come.

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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ADVERTORIAL

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ADVERTORIAL

Kenny Schwing President/CEO Liptak Dental Services

The Latest Advancement in Data Protection and Business Continuity:

In today’s modern dental practice, patient schedules, clinical charts, treatment plans, 2D and 3D imaging files, and financial reports etc.,etc., are electronically filed on a computer sitting somewhere under a front desk or in a dusty electrical room. So just what happens in a partial or fully paperless dental practice when the information that is stored on the office file server is no longer available? Here are just a few things that occur when your server becomes inoperable: •C laims can’t be sent and billing activity ceases •A ppointments can’t be made and calendars are unavailable •R ecall systems are invisible • Treatment plans are gone and of course in the operatories, electronic charts are nowhere to be found •X -ray images have instantly disappeared from view • Staff have no idea who just walked in and why they are there Of course at some point, your office manager will have called a computer service technician who is invariably either working on another project or tied up in traffic somewhere. In the meantime, your office is in a state of panic as patients are lined up at your reception desk. The calamity continues until the nature of the problem is resolved which is heavily dependent on technical intervention of some kind. Fileserver outages can essentially be broken down into three categories: 1) M inor power problems or software glitches that can be rectified by a reboot of the computer. 2) H ardware failure where a part needs replacement such as a hard drive, power supply or system board. 3) A disaster from flood, fire or theft of the system which can leave you with no immediate access to your server’s contents.

Karl Schmidt Director of Practice Management Technologies Patterson Dental Canada

Most practices today rely on some type of storage device to backup data. Some will back up nightly onto portable hard drives while others may backup to a hybrid cloud backup system available today. The process to recover quickly from scenarios 2 or 3; however, is fraught with time-consuming obstacles. For one thing, business continuity experts estimate that 80 percent of conventional backups are unreadable! Cloud backups may appear to be an effective safeguard, but trying to recovery Gigabytes of data over a cable modem can take hours or even days. And of course, let’s not forget about the technician who’s stuck in traffic. To put it into perspective, the amount of downtime for your busy practice will be measured in hours or days and the cost of lost production can add up very quickly. Take it one step further and imagine if you could not get your data back at all? Just how much would that impact your practice today? So if we had a magic wand and could design the best backup and disaster recovery system, just what characteristics would it have? Here’s what we were thinking… •B ackups should occur real-time and not just at nightly intervals •D ata should be secured locally and for redundancy purposes, data should be transmitted simultaneously to a Canadian PIPEDA compliant data center •D ata should be secure and encrypted at any and all access points •T he entire system should be monitored 24/7/365 by a human and if anything goes wrong with the system, the practice owner is alerted immediately • I f the server crashes, the practice should have a failover to run the network on until repairs could be made. Impossible you think? Not anymore. . .

Patterson Dental Proudly Introduces

Call us at 866.449.7282 or email techsales@pattersondental.ca for more information OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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THE BEST DENTAL BACKUP SYSTEM ON THE MARKET NEW

DDS RESCUE™ DOES MUCH MORE THAN A TYPICAL BACKUP DDS Rescue™ is the ONLY system on the market that can: • Restore your practice data in minutes versus days or weeks with traditional backups • Recover deleted files & corrupt databases immediately • If your server fails completely, run your office off the DDS Rescue™ failover server • Verify each backup daily • Monitor your data 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If something goes wrong, the practice owner is notified immediately.

™

For product information, call 866.449.7282

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22 Peak Performers | Office Design

Harmonious Union of

ELEGANCE& TECHNOLOGY D

CREDITS Equipment and Ken Croney/ dental planning: Henry Schein Construction: All-Win Contracting Interior Design: Jean Akerman Design Inc. Photography: Stephanie Buchman

r. Christopher Cameron and his wife Melody of Cameron Orthdontics have always believed in personalized care and service. Driven by their commitment to make the patient experience more comfortable, their vision for their new boutique practice can be summed up in just three words: elegance, orthodontics, technology. Designer Jean Akerman has successfully created a harmonious union of these requisites. Entering this beautiful office is like being welcomed into the Camerons’ own living room. Forget that you are in an office tower in one of Toronto’s busiest intersections — here, you are immediately embraced by the refinement and warmth of elegant finishes and sophisticated furnishings. The busy-ness of life outside ebbs, replaced by a sense of calm and relaxation. In uncharacteristic fashion for orthodontic offices, there are no obvious themed props geared to young clients. Rather, the gracious atmosphere encourages quiet activity, with only a small kids’ area (equipped with interactive tablets) tucked at one side of the reception area. Toned in soothing sea-blue, it acts as a “calming zone” for all ages. In a practice consisting of 30% adults, the upscale setting in the Consultation Room ensures a positive first experience. The state-of-the-art treatment bay is comprised of three semi-private areas, separated by glazed millwork panels, and the central sterilization centre sits prominently behind the transparency of floor-to-ceiling glass. Equally impressive technology includes the electronic check-in, digital imaging and recording, and the LED light box in the Records Room. The feedback? Patients positively enjoy receiving cutting edge, customized orthodontic care in such a soothing and tasteful environment — the Camerons’ vision fulfilled.

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Peak Performers | Office Design

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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ADVERTORIAL

MCNulty Group About Us The McNulty Group is a boutique retirement planning firm that works with professional families. The Director of McNulty Group, Mark McNulty, has been a guest speaker at numerous ODA events, in addition to making multiple television and radio appearances. He is also the author of The Transition Coach 2.0–A Canadian Dentist’s Guide to a Perfect Retirement.

The Your Number™ Program The Your Number™ program was developed over a 30-year period by Barry and Mark McNulty. It is based on the insights they gained while working with hundreds of dentists as they managed their money into and through retirement. Managing an income from a portfolio is vastly different than managing for growth. All assets need to be integrated and organized to meet your retirement cash flow needs.

How do we do it? Retirement Spending Target: Using conservative assumptions, we forecast a cash flow that the nest egg can sustain for the rest of your life. We then back-test the cash flow over every economic condition for 100 years. The result is sustainability.

Lifetime Tax Plan: We work with your accountant regularly to design, implement and update an income tax plan for the next ten years. It’s important for you as a dentist to look beyond one-year tax deferral strategies, as this may result in a large tax bill when you need the money most. We use a proprietary strategy called Lifetime Tax Plan to ensure an optimal, after-tax monthly “paycheque” for the rest of your life from the day you stop practicing. Alternative Income Management: We use a conservative approach to investment management, with our firm managing over $180,000,000 for dentists across Ontario. As retirement approaches, we convert your portfolio from a growth oriented portfolio to a self-funding pension-like portfolio. To avoid poor market timing, you should start this process long before retirement. Modeled after institutionally managed pension funds, we use a Liability Driven Investing approach. The main focus isn’t an arbitrary investment return but rather an approach that puts your retirement cash flow at the forefront. We use a combination of cash, bonds, stocks, hedge funds and annuities as well as proprietary tools for increasing the probability of maintaining your retirement cash flow in any market, bull or bear.

The McNulty Group limits the number of clients in order to ensure each one receives personal attention and an opportunity to deal directly with Mark McNulty.

For more information, visit yournumber.ca

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Mc-NULTYGROUP

Some do nothing until it’s too late

Courtesy of Sir William Jardine • 1837 – The Natural Encyclopedia

Others don’t wait to look to their future

The McNulty Group is for those who possess a commitment to excellence, an appreciation that hard work pays off, and an extraordinary vision for their future. It’s no wonder that our clients are uniquely positioned to attain the kind of post-transition lifestyle they so richly deserve. We share their passion for accomplishment and their desire to go above and beyond. Nothing showcases this better than our proprietary Your Number ™ Program, which we created and perfected over three decades. For more information, visit www.yournumber.ca today.

Mc-NULTYGROUP

For those who count on a Great Retirement

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26 Peak Performers | Office Design

A ROOM WITH A (point of)

VIEW A

fter practicing 34 years on the second floor of a strip mall, Dr. George Zicherman knew it was time to upgrade. His vision for the new office was to create a space with inviting, modern, bright décor that optimizes the functional and technological aspects of today’s dental practice. Two years ago a suite in a new medical mall, directly across from a 10,000 sq-ft medical practice, became available. The location was almost perfect, but presented Dr. Zicherman with a challenge: how could he make an internal space with no windows, bright and airy for his staff and patients? He enlisted the services of Jan Mok of J.E.S. Design Inc., to design his new office and solve this problem. Fortunately there was natural light coming from a large skylight in the centre of the mall and a floor-to-ceiling glass wall at the front of the suite. With careful space planning, working creatively with generous ceiling heights, and placing glass windows in the operatory walls, more than enough light was brought into the space. In keeping with Dr. Zicherman’s design objectives, contemporary wall sconces and brushed chrome accents and trim, maintain the modern theme. Richly hued Ledgestone, warm, dark-stained maple cabinets and deep restful blue tones on the walls surfaces, all contribute to a relaxed atmosphere for patients and a quality workplace for the staff. As anyone who has gone through the process of designing a new dental facility knows, there can be many challenges and numerous critical decisions that will affect the feeling and function of the space for many years. Jan Mok of J.E.S. Design Inc. and Dan Burns of Dan Burns Dental Construction formed a great support team to help Dr. Zicherman meet the challenges and realize his vision.

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Peak Performers | Office Design

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ADVERTORIAL

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EMBEZZLEMENT

G N I T A B M CO

thinkstockphotos.com

30 Peak Performers | Finance

What Works What Doesn’t David Harris, CFE

“WILL THIS WORK?”

n a typical year, I deliver 30-40 lectures to dentists about embezzlement. With embezzlement striking three in five dentists at some point in their careers, this is a subject that most practicing dentists find to be of considerable interest. Inevitably when I present, several attendees will ask a variant of the same question. It starts with “Will this work?” followed by some proposed office procedure. For example, at a recent presentation I was discussing how easy it is for thieves to steal cheques payable to a dentist. This prompted questions and discussion about whether stamping the reverse of each cheque with “For Deposit Only” and the practice’s bank account number would prevent embezzlement. The unspoken hypothesis underlying these questions is that embezzlement occurs because of some deficiency in office procedures, and that correcting this deficiency (or implementing some other kind of “magic pill”) will reduce the probability of embezzlement.

THIEVES RESPOND DIFFERENTLY

For reasons I will show you, this hypothesis is based on incorrect assumptions about how thieves behave. I should also say that it isn’t just dentists who misunderstand the criminal thought process; dental literature and web sites for dentists are cluttered with well-intentioned articles written on embezzlement by people who understand dentistry well but crime poorly. Articles with titles like “Ten things to do to Embezzlement-Proof Your Practice” suggest steps (typically controls or auditing) purported to lessen your chance of being embezzled. One article even suggests that about 90 of these steps be done on a monthly basis, which leads me to wonder how the unfortunate practice owner would ever do any dentistry. Many of the recommendations in these articles are really misapplied common sense. Locking your car’s doors reduces the chance that someone will steal it. An alarm system in your house reduces your likelihood of being burglarized. So why shouldn’t the same principle work at your office?

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Peak Performers | Finance

What many haven’t considered is that there is a basic difference between burglary and embezzlement. I’d categorize most burglary as a “crime of opportunity” — in these situations, the perpetrator has a wide range of victims from which to choose, and the impact of your increasing the difficulty of their task is normally to encourage the thief to victimize someone else. No one expects these measures to convince a thief to abandon crime altogether; they do hope to divert the crime to some other economic entity. I often make a joke in presentations about burglar alarms decreasing the crime rate in your house, but increasing crime for your neighbours. The distinguishing characteristic of embezzlement is that an embezzler’s victim is pre-ordained. Embezzlers can choose (and by inference, you can influence) their methodology for stealing, but there is only one possible victim — you. Since there is still no reasonable expectation that a thief will abandon criminal activity altogether, the most you can accomplish by applying the types of controls suggested in these “10 Ways to Embezzlement Proof” articles is to channel the embezzler into stealing in a different way, but still from you. I sometimes refer to the hard target fallacy about embezzlement. The misconception is that if we make it hard for people to steal from us, make it appear likely that they will be caught, or indicate that offenders will be punished, we can discourage people from stealing. While there is applicability of this concept when thieves can choose who to victimize, it simply does not work in embezzlement situations. Embezzlers know that they will eventually be caught, and punished. And yet they do it anyway. Embezzlers are pushed by some strong financial and emotional forces. It would be wildly optimistic to expect a thief to allow these pressures to continue simply because you blocked their first, second and third pathways for embezzlement. It is impossible to block every embezzlement opportunity; we’ve seen hundreds of schemes and continue to encounter new ways embezzlers steal on a monthly basis, so you may be certain that a motivated would-be thief will find a way to circumvent your best efforts to stop them from stealing.

EMBEZZLEMENT DEFEATS CONTROLS

For these reasons, I don’t see controls having much value in discouraging embezzlement. I’m not suggesting that controls are useless — far from it, they serve many important functions in your office. However, controls implemented for no other reason than the hope that they will control embezzlement constitute wasted effort. A consistent mistake we see is dentists and their advisors underestimating embezzlers. These are desperate people who know your office systems well, and the creativity they display is often spectacular. Before beginning their careers as embezzlers, these people make a careful study of controls and monitoring systems in place, and then design a theft that will be undetected by current office procedures. Furthermore, thieves will adapt (often with startling quickness) to changes implemented by the dentist. In the course of performing investigations, we have a unique historical perspective on methodologies used, and we frequently encounter thieves changing their pattern in response to procedural changes implemented by the dentist. So now let’s reanalyze the question I was asked in a seminar about the efficacy of stamping the backs of cheques with “Deposit Only.” Here is a slightly abridged version of the discussion that followed: I pointed out that this is a typical example of a “control”, because it requires staff compliance to be effective. Thieves can selectively fail to apply policies when those policies prove to be inconvenient. In other words, if there is a cheque I want to steal, I simply won’t stamp that cheque. Virtually any procedure-based attack on embezzlement is doomed because embezzlers will selectively ignore policies that interfere with their stealing. thinkstockphotos.com

Embezzlers know that they will eventually be caught, and punished. And yet they do it anyway A dentist then asked me whether stamping the cheques herself would be effective. My response was that for this to have any chance of working, first you would also need to collect the mail yourself. Otherwise, cheques destined for theft would be

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32 Peak Performers | Finance

culled before you saw them. I then raised the possibility that an enterprising thief can often find a way to intercept some mail (for example, by going to the mailbox before the dentist and removing certain items, or by directing certain payments to a different address). So unless there is an unbroken chain for the cheques to get deposited with no interference from staff, there is an exploitable opening for an embezzler. My final point (to this now somewhat crestfallen audience) was that, even in the unlikely event that you found a way to completely tamper-proof the flow of cheques into your bank account, this would have absolutely no impact whatsoever on the desire of the employee to steal, and that they would be actively looking for another way. The porosity of a dental office means that it is very likely that they would find one.

WHAT ABOUT SELF-AUDITING?

David Harris is the world’s foremost expert on embezzlement committed against dentists. He is CEO of Prosperident, the world’s largest dental embezzlement investigation firm, and is consulted on hundreds of embezzlement matters annually. David is a Certified Fraud Examiner, licensed private investigator and Mensa member. Prosperident’s web site is www. dentalembezzlement.com, and phone number 888-398-2327.

Auditing is an excellent concept. However, it requires a disciplined approach (in other words it must consistently be done) and a certain level of knowledge about embezzlement patterns that most dentists do not possess. (Our investigators normally come to us with 10 years or more of administrative experience in dental offices, and yet it can take them a year or more of working with us to be able to identify embezzlement transactions). However, probably the biggest obstacle to self-auditing is time. Current practice management software really isn’t designed to “report by exception” for embezzlement issues, so a dentist is faced with reviewing a prohibitive number of transactions to look for the very few that might be fraudulent. A printout of the annual audit log for a fairly modest one-dentist, one hygienist practice can easily be 2,000 or more pages. Finding embezzlement there can be like looking for a needle in a field of haystacks. It’s completely understandable to me that this daunting process isn’t something dentists rush to embrace.

SO WHAT DOES WORK?

I think that one of the reasons why embezzlement is rampant in dentistry is because we have allowed our efforts at controlling this problem to be misdirected; dentists are busy trying to fix their systems of controls (each of which has a cost in terms of productivity) and looking for financial indicia of embezzle-

ment, or at least feeling guilty because they think they should be doing more looking than they are. The answer is actually much easier than many dentists realize. In a 2007 ADA survey of embezzlement victims, over two thirds of embezzlement was uncovered by behavioural (as opposed to financial) telltales. The Association of Certified Fraud Examiners reports that over 80% of embezzlers display one or more behavioural traits of embezzlers. So I’ll recommend a few things to dentists. The first is to closely monitor employee behaviour. Some of the clues are obvious — staff who refuse to take vacations or sick days, excessive resistance to change, refusal to cross-train others in their duties and evasiveness when discussing financial issues. Other clues are a bit more subtle. As a way of helping you organize your thoughts on this, Prosperident has an Embezzlement Risk Assessment Questionnaire that we happily supply to dentists. You can have your own copy by sending an email to requests@dentalembezzlement. com. The questionnaire takes about 15 minutes to complete, and we recommend doing so every six months. In the area of auditing, one development that I am very excited about is the recent emergence of add-on software designed specifically to monitor practice management software for activity that is symptomatic of embezzlement. Practice Safe Guard (PSG) was recently released in the US to work with one of the major brands of practice management software. It operates silently in the background and is able to monitor, and securely report to the dentist, about transactions that suggest embezzlement. Unfortunately, due to differences in software versions in use in Canada, PSG isn’t available here yet, but I expect that this will change within the next year. We unreservedly support this use of technology as a way of managing the otherwise daunting task of self-audit. Behavioural monitoring and technological advances give a dentist some excellent tools to combat embezzlement, and the best news is that they are both easier and considerably more powerful than the strategies that have been most often advocated. As this kind of monitoring can be done in minutes per month instead of hours, for a minimal investment of time a dentist has the potential to avoid a major problem.

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Peak Performers | Finance

How to build

NET WORTH FOR SUCCESSFUL DENTISTS 7 TIPS

’ve been coaching dentists on financial matters for many years now. At some point, most dentists are curious to know how their financial success compares to others. I must admit, it can vary quite dramatically. We’ve all heard the expression ‘if I only knew then what I know now.’ Things like ‘no one succeeds on their own’ or ‘failing is the best way to learn.’ I believe life is an experience and that we should learn from others. When it comes to finances, it’s especially important to make good decisions. Below, I’ve listed seven ideas to help dentists on the right track to financial success.

SET GOALS AND CREATE A PERSONAL ROADMAP Mike Lakhani

I once recall a client who wanted to achieve a net worth of $10 million. So I asked how he planned to achieve his goal, to which he responded “through hard work and building my dental practice.” While admirable in his intentions, this goal was unlikely to be achieved without a solid roadmap.

When I meet with new clients, I still find it surprising to see how many do not have a written financial plan. An architect does not build a house without drawings— the foundation, the structure, the finishing touches all designed to provide shelter and comfort. A personal financial plan can provide a similar level of comfort and security. Important issues like retirement income and tax savings are the foundation of a good plan. The key is to set realistic goals and work towards them. Start simple, like saving $500 this month, and work up to something more substantial, like maximizing your RRSP. A comprehensive financial plan will address many other issues, such as managing debt, cash flow and estate plans. It could also include funding children’s education costs, the purchase of a vacation property, or the sale of a dental practice. Once you have identified your core objectives, then a comprehensive written plan will guide the way. Continued on page 36

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ADVERTORIAL

PEAK PERFORMER How did Dr. Warren Roberts go from zero to the #1 dental provider of Botox in North America? Prior to 1988 Drs. Warren and Janet Roberts had one of the largest crown and bridge practices in BC. In 1988, Dr. Warren was in a debilitating MVA while riding his bicycle. Herniated thoracic discs left him physically compromised to perform normal dental procedures, and he therefore looked for a new path. His wife, Dr. Janet Roberts, determined and committed, had a vision of performing dental rejuvenation with facial rejuvenation in the same office. Never done before, the two doctors opened a Coal Harbour office, with no previous patients and have been successful in combining the two rejuvenations, often sharing like advice and guidance to others. Always on the leading edge, Dr. Warren became a Certified Botox Instructor. It was only a matter of time before the Pacific Training Institute for Facial Aesthetics, (PTIFA), a facility co-founded by Drs. Warren and Janet was conceived. Their institute offers the only university level Botox training, where dentists learn the Business of Botox; how to step by step incorporate therapeutic and cosmetic Botox into their practice. The quality of course material, training methods and hands-on experience ensures graduates hone confidence and comfort while providing botox treatment. Dr. Warren Roberts, a 1977 University of British Columbia Dental School graduate, is a well-known and respected dentist. Dr. Warren’s continued studies include programs at the prestigious Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies and at the California Center for Advanced Dental Studies. Located in beautiful Coal Harbor, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is the home of both the training facility and ‘A Smile Above’, Drs. Warren and Janet’s vibrant and modern dental practice and model for cosmetic dentistry. Very instrumental in the aesthetic world of

Botox, and to stay on the cutting edge of this ever growing industry, Drs. Warren and Janet developed the first and only Online Botox course available. Not only is the online course great for team learning, the unlimited online access makes marketing and integration of Botox in the workplace simple. The PTIFA Level 1 Intro to Botox is taught online. The ‘learn at your own pace’ course compliments a physician’s busy life and practice. The only Facial Rejuvenation (head and neck) live cadaver course enhances your understanding of your patient’s anatomical make up. Then choose from a number of destination Level 2 Botox HandsOn courses, and bring along members of your team, so that they can understand how to easily implement this service in your office and increase your income by $125,000. It doesn’t end there, Level 3; Advanced Botox, Level 4; Dermal Fillers, and Level 5; Extra Oral Lasers prepares you and your team to provide your clients with the total clinical cosmetic smile makeover. The tiered and gated courses are designed for dentists, physicians, RN’s and their teams. In addition, Dr. Warren facilitates the only Online Botox Study Club in existence in North America. As a member, you and your team receive unlimited access to videos, course refreshers, lectures, webinars, updated medical and office integration documentation, archives, and much more. Dr. Warren is a past president of both the Fraser Valley Dental Society and the BC Academy of General Dentistry. He is currently a member of the Vancouver and District Dental Society, the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, and the Canadian Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. In conjunction with Dr. Janet, they write numerous articles on Botox in Dentistry for publications such as Dentistry Today, Teamwork and Oral Health Journal.

Dr. Warren is currently touring internationally, presenting lectures and Botox training programs to universities, conferences, conventions, physicians, dentists, RN’s and team members. For course information, or lecture, conference and international speaking events, please direct all inquiries to

info@ptifa.com or 604.681.0066

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36 Peak Performers | Finance

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Continued from page 33

INCORPORATE

It’s been ten years since dentists in Ontario have been permitted to incorporate. This is by far one of the best tax planning opportunities during the lifetime of a dentist. Perhaps the most common benefit is the ability to pay tax on profits at the lower corporate rate of 15.5% instead of the personal rate which can be as much as 46.4% (or 49.5% for those earning over $509,000 per year). This provides a great opportunity to defer tax for many years and save the surplus within the corporation. Incorporation can also allow for income splitting with lower income family members. The spouse, children or parents of the dentist are eligible to become shareholders of a professional corporation and may receive dividends. For those in a lower tax bracket, it can create substantial tax savings. For example, for someone without any other sources of income, it is possible to receive $40,000 of dividends tax-free (only $600 Ontario health tax applies). This is an excellent way to increase after-tax family income, to pay for children’s post-secondary expenses or to support financially dependent parents. Incorporation isn’t just effective for ‘savers.’ It is also great for those who have practice debt to repay, such as recent practice purchases or start-up locations. That’s because the principal payments are paid with corporate after-tax dollars, which means there is 84.5 cents available instead of 53.6 cents if repaid as a sole proprietor. Practice debt can be repaid much more quickly if done through the company. In spite of all the great advantages above (and many more not listed), incorporation is not for everyone. Typically, young associates do not incorporate until they have paid down

student debt and used available tuition credits. And there are other situations in which it may be better to wait. It’s important to consult with a tax specialist to determine if it’s appropriate to set up a professional corporation or defer until the circumstances are more favourable.

DIVERSIFY YOUR NET WORTH

Net worth is considered a yardstick for measuring your financial success. It should be tracked periodically, hopefully going up over time, to provide a greater sense of accomplishment and security. I often advise clients to build their net worth as a three-legged stool to provide balance and stability. Specifically, the three legs are: your home, your practice and your savings. This approach diversifies wealth by providing a place to live, an engine of wealth generation, and a place to store wealth for future use. It’s like having a healthy diet with balanced proportions of food. With the right combination, your financial health can withstand stresses and challenges along the way.

DEVELOP A RETIREMENT PLAN

There is a lot of emphasis these days about how Canadians are not saving enough for retirement. This isn’t surprising when you consider retirement can last 30 years or more—that requires a lot of capital! The reality is more and more people will continue to work on a part-time basis beyond the age of 60, simply because of the financial gap and the ability to work. When asked “how much do I need to save to be able to retire?,” I reply with an equally important question, “how much will you spend each year to maintain your lifestyle?” This requires a thoughtful assessment of typical spending patterns. While there are many factors that can influence

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Peak Performers | Finance

the ultimate outcome, such as interest rates, inflation, taxes, changing lifestyle and potential health care needs, the ‘4% withdrawal rule’ is usually a good place to start. Essentially, the 4% withdrawal rule means you should save enough capital to draw an income of 4% per year. For example, a 65-year old with a need for $100,000 per year should save at least $2.5 million to maintain the same lifestyle during retirement. For someone younger, income is needed for a longer period so even more capital must be saved, therefore, a 3% rule may be more appropriate. Once clients realize the amount of savings truly required to maintain their lifestyle, it can be surprising to learn the sale of the dental practice may only provide a fraction of their goal. The lesson is that it takes time and discipline to save. The saying ‘pay yourself first’ holds true.

SET-UP AN INDIVIDUAL PENSION PLAN

One solution to accelerate retirement saving is to start an Individual Pension Plan (IPP). I like to think of IPP’s as ‘super-charged’ RRSP’s since they allow larger annual contributions. As a result, retirement goals can be achieved faster. Contributions are paid by the corporation and are tax-deductible. In addition, special provisions exist for those who have drawn salary from their corporation over prior years, allowing you to catch-up on missed years. These types of plans are better for those

Highlights G Create a personal financial plan G Incorporate G Diversity your wealth— home, practice, savings

G Retirement Income & 4% withdrawal rule

G Establish an Individual Pension Plan G Create an Investment Policy G Work with a team of trusted professionals

in their 40’s or older since the contribution limits are calculated by an actuary. In addition, IPP’s are mandated to earn 7.5% per year, so in years when there is a shortfall, the corporation would top-up the difference which provides an additional tax deduction (this can’t be done with an RRSP!). In spite of the costs to maintain these plans, it is possible to save hundreds of thousands more within an IPP than an RRSP by retirement. IPP’s offer many other benefits for various scenarios, including those preparing to sell or for those with a dentist in the family prepared to take over control of the practice.

CREATE AN INVESTMENT POLICY

Investing is an emotional process. Let’s face it, no one likes to lose money. But with today’s low interest rates, who is satisfied earning 1% to 2%? To earn a better return it is necessary to take on more risk—and more uncertainty at the same time. We know that markets go up and down, that they go through cycles. Stocks, bonds, real estate, even the value of dental practices can fluctuate. As investors, we should expect downturns from time-to-time. The key is to recognize in advance your personal risk tolerance so that when times get tough, we don’t overreact by turning a loss on paper into a real loss. That’s why it’s so important to have an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) to define your investment approach, in good times and in bad. An IPS identifies many factors including your portfolio risk, asset allocation, investment horizon, tax efficiency and when to rebalance. You might say it is a lighthouse guiding your way to your destination through choppy waters.

WORK WITH A TEAM OF TRUSTED PROFESSIONALS

Taking control of one’s finances creates a sense of confidence and security. With all the complexity of personal finance, changing tax rules, legal issues and so on, it’s difficult to become proficient in all these areas while maintaining a dental practice at the same time. The best thing to do is align yourself with people who understand these issues, will listen to your concerns, and who can prioritize and help implement your goals.

Mike Lakhani, B.Comm., F.C.C.A., C.G.A., CFP, R.F.P., is President and Founder of Tax Matters For Dentists (TMFD) and co-author of Secrets of The Wealthy Dentist. Mike has over 25 years of experience as a financial advisor working in the Mississauga and GTA. Mike specializes in tax, estate and investment planning for the dental professional. You can contact him at (905) 273-6605 or mike@ddstaxes.com.

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38 Peak Performers | Technology

Technology Tools for P Often, Peak Performance involves the use of the right tool, at the right time. The appropriate use of some simple and effective technology tools can make a big difference. The following sites and software are favorites among the practices we work with, and are all free or very nearly free.

SEND CELL PHONE TEXT MESSAGES EASILY

Some patients prefer to be contacted via telephone. Some prefer email. Others would prefer to receive reminders through text messages on their cell phones. A simple postcard in the mail is still preferred by some patients. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to communicate with each patient using the method that they prefer? But how do you handle the patients who want to be contacted via text message? It’s time consuming for a staff member to try to type a message on their phone. Repeating the process for many patients is impractical. It’s not appropriate for a patient to receive a text message from a staff member’s personal cell phone. And how can you automate the process of sending text message reminders to patients? There are a number of tools that allow you to send cell phone text messages directly from a computer. One that works very well in a dental practice is called smsmail.com. With a smsmail.com account, you send text messages as if they were emails. Smsmail.com will cost you $0.06 for each text message. Other free tools, such as gmail.com’s SMS service, are available, but smsmail.com is low cost, very easy to use, and does not require the user to send messages through a web interface. Registering for an account at smsmail.com is free and you can send five messages for free to test the service. During the registration process, smsmail. com will collect information about your email address and the phone number that you’d like to see appear on the recipient’s cell phone. Then, to send a text message, simply send an email to a special address coded for the patient’s cell number. The format of the special address will be: 14168123456@smsmail.com Don’t forget to put the ‘1’ before the phone number in the email address.

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Peak Performers | Technology

or PEAK PERFORMERS Craig Wilson

The recipient will receive a text message on their phone, and the messages will appear to have originated at the phone number provided during registration. It is important to register the dental practice phone number for this reason. When collecting patient information, ask for the patient’s preferred communication method and offer text message as an option. When the patient prefers text, enter their address as “1(cell number)@ smsmail.com” in the ‘email’ field in their patient record. From then on, emails sent to the patient will be received as text messages on their phone instead. If this seems complicated, just give it a try. It’s simpler to do than to explain, and you’ll have this setup and working in no time at all. Of course, text messages should be brief and succinct. Don’t write a text message in the same way that you’d write an email message. Keep them as short as possible. If your email program is configured to add an automatic signature line to the bottom of your emails, you’ll want to remove this before sending. This is easily done by including the text “—” at the bottom of the message. Anything after the “—” won’t be sent to the recipient. (Example: “This is where my SMS-text ends — And this text won’t be sent.”) Unless you’re also able to accept appointment changes via text message, don’t forget to include some kind of notice that informs patients to call the office to make changes and to not simply hit reply. (“Questions/Changes: Call 4161112222”) Text messaging won’t be appropriate for every patient, and depending on their phone plan, a patient may not appreciate paying a fee each time your office communicates with them. For the right patient, using a service like smsmail.com to translate email into text can be a great help.

CONNECT TO YOUR OFFICE REMOTELY, OR NOT

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Logmein.com is a simple and reasonably secure method of connecting to another computer from a distance. Setup a free logmein.com account, add your office workstation to the service, and you’re immediately able to connect to that computer from anywhere else in the world as if you were sitting in front of it. Pull up the schedule to decide when you need to be in to work tomorrow. Take a look at patient radiographs from that day. Complete notes in a chart. Anything that could be done from your workstation in the office can be done remotely with a tool like logmein.com.

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40 Peak Performers | Technology

Simultaneously, it might not be appropriate to allow staff members to connect to office workstations when they’re outside of the physical office. The ease with which a tool like logmein.com can be added to a workstation allows a staff member with very little I/T knowledge to setup remote access quickly and easily. This isn’t always desirable. If remote access is not allowed, and Internet access is available at a workstation, ensure that some method of preventing this type of access is in place. Software is available that prevents new software from being installed without approval. User access permissions can sometimes be adjusted to prevent unauthorized changes to the system. Firewalls can be monitored for certain types of activity and alerts can be generated automatically. Be aware and be vigilant, or ask a third party to monitor this for you.

ENCRYPTION

Craig Wilson is president of Compudent Systems Inc., a company providing support services for organizations and individuals involved with dental and medical imaging applications. www. compudentinc.com

As the trustee of personal data and especially personal medical data belonging to your patients, a dental practice has a responsibility to ensure that this data is secured and protected. The practice is responsible for ensuring that this data exists only in an encrypted form if it resides on any mobile device (external hard drive, laptop, etc.). As this is often a complex and confusing undertaking, it is not uncommon for dental offices to ignore this requirement when performing the equally important task of daily data backup. Truecrypt.org is an excellent piece of software that can be used to create encrypted volumes to store data and is very easy to use. It can be configured to encrypt according to the standards suggested by the provincial guidelines. It also happens to be free. We’ve been using truecrypt.org with our clients for years and recommend its use for all backups. A lt houg h rout i ne d at a encr y pt ion won’t likely help you feel like a Peak Performer, it will save you an unbelievable amount of pain, frustration and cost if you should ever be the victim of some kind of unfortunate data related event. The time spent setting up an appropriate data encryption process using truecrypt. org today m ig ht pay huge d ividends somewhere down the road.

KNOW ABOUT ONLINE POSTS — FIRST

A number of websites exist where patients can rate businesses and describe their experiences. Social media, rating sites, and blogs might all contain information about the staff or practice, and it’s hard to know what patients or potential patients might stumble across while online. How can you monitor the ever-changing content on the Internet for references to the practice? Wouldn’t it be nice to know when something relevant has been posted online? Google.com/alerts is a free Google service that allows you to create custom alerts that will send you email updates whenever new items containing specific search criteria are discovered. As the most important search engine in the world, Google is uniquely positioned to be able to create search related alerts customized to your interests. (Note that googlealerts.com is something entirely different.) Sign up for a Google.com account, or add an alert to an existing account. Simply visit google.com/ alerts, enter your search query and your email address, and click ‘create alert’. Create a search query for the dentist’s name. Create a search query for the practice name, a query for the practice address, and one for the practice phone number. If Google.com indexes any new item somewhere online that matches the search criteria, you’ll receive an alert via email. Trying to monitor the entirety of the Internet for references to the practice or dentist is impossible for an individual. Creating a Google.com/alert takes less than 30 seconds and generates reliable and timely alerts for life. An extensive and growing number of tools, apps, sites, and software exist to handle or answer nearly every problem that might have a technology solution. It’s very likely that someone else has experienced whatever frustration you’re currently dealing with, and equally likely that some kind of technology tool has been created to reduce or eliminate that frustration. Adapting an existing free or low-cost tool for use in a dental practice might just make your day a little bit easier and might move you a little bit closer to operating at a Peak Performance level. The tools listed above are a great place to start.

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The moment you see a hidden detail reveal a visible success. This is the moment we work for.

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The qualities of an instrument like OPMI® pico from Carl Zeiss are clearly evident. Now there is more to explore: • With Varioskop® 100 the user adjusts the focal length without leaving the preferred working position and over a large distance to focus on the oral cavity, as well as minute details in the vertical axis. It provides a more comprehensive view and greater depth. • The LED illumination stands for true-to-colour light and economical use. • HD recording allows you to: stream live video into the network for viewing through various devices, create full HD images during recording, record on USB for easy transfer to EMR and much more. • EyeMag® loupes provide excellent image quality, outstanding wearing comfort and state-of-the-art design. Carl Zeiss Canada Ltd. I 45 Valleybrook Drive Toronto, ON M3B 2S6 I 1-800-387-8037 I czcmed@zeiss.com I www.zeiss.ca

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42 Peak Performers | Human Resource Management

What will

YOUR LEGACY BE

n our work of providing highly specialized HR-law services for dentists, we come across a spectrum of philosophies on selling a practice. On one end of the continuum, we work with dentists who care exceptionally about the state of their practice when selling and the legacy they leave behind. They do everything possible to ensure that what they

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exchange for the buyers’ cheques are in the best possible condition. In our firm, we like to refer to such dentists as “Gold Standard Sellers.” In keeping with the theme of this edition of Oral Health, Gold Standard Sellers are the Peak Performers among sellers. At the other end of the spectrum are dentists who seem to say, with Louis XV, “Après moi, le déluge.” The “Louis

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Peak Performers | Human Resource Management

Mariana Bracic, BA (Hons), JD XV Seller” is interested in getting out of practice ownership as soon as possible, and is content to let the buyer deal with any problems within the practice, post closing. With everything from surface cosmetic issues to important issues like the quality of staff contracts and policies, the Gold Standard Sellers take all measures possible to ensure that everything is properly in order before sale. If you are in the market to purchase a practice, you are well advised to look for the tell-tale signs of a Gold Standard Seller, most importantly, the quality of their staff contracts and policies. We are consulted in our practice all too often, unfortunately, by young dentists who bought practices from dentists who took a Louix XV approach — the type of sellers who frankly did not care what happened after they were gone. The young dentists often tell us that the senior dentists had “assured” them that the staff were “great!” and would not cause the buyers any problems — certainly there was no need to implement written contracts and policies with them before closing! The trusting buyers closed the deals, having taken over the sellers’ staff with only oral, or poor-quality, written contracts in place. Months later, the buyers were miserable and finally contacted us to put their HR issues in proper order at last. But by that time, they have gone through many months, sometimes years, of incredible stress. They frequently recount the staff being highly resistant to any changes they wished to make in the practices (hours, software, etc). As time passed post closing, the staff became increasingly entitlement-oriented and the young dentists were increasingly dismayed to learn of the many claims the staff had of perq’s the sellers had “always given them” (e.g. large Christmas bonuses, vacation time and pay well in excess of market norms, etc.) Such buyers tell us that the staff see them as young upstarts, who have no business coming into “their” practices (after all, according to the staff, the patients come there to see the staff, not these new dentists they don’t even know!) and making unnecessary changes when the staff want to do things “the way they have

always been done.” Many such dentists feel positively bullied by the staff. Not surprisingly, the dentists in these cases often begin to hate going to work. Having spent on average almost a million dollars to buy their practices, they are now miserable and ask us whether they should just sell. In the end, we can invariably rectify the situation for these young dentists, putting their HR issues and financial and mental well-being in good order, but it is tragic that they had to endure the months or years of misery in the first place. It is understandable that, after practising dentistry for thirty years or so, a seller might feel tempted to exit quickly and retire into the sunset, leaving the purchaser to clean up problems in the practice, and to arrange matters according to their preferences. I would like to submit respectfully, for the reader’s consideration, however, that it is not the best approach for at least two key reasons.

BEING A GOLD STANDARD SELLER IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

Personally, I often reflect on what I would like my law practice and HR company to look like when I bring them to market years from now. I would like to feel good knowing that I will have passed my businesses on to a younger buyer with every

No legacy is so rich as honesty. — William Shakespeare advantage for their success. It is no coincidence, in my view, that we often see in our practice that when the dentist is selling their practice to one of the dentist’s own children, they take a Gold Standard approach (and implement the Practice Protection Package™ comprehensive contracts and policies) before the transition. Personally, I would love it if one of my children graduated from law school and took over my businesses in the future. But whether the future owner of my businesses ultimately does turn out to be one of my Continued on page 46 oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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ADVERTORIAL

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Spear who provide the necessary protocol for good function. Occlusal based, comprehensive dentistry is our foundation and applying it to a simple single crown or full mouth restoration is considered the norm in our environment. Grin and Bare It Dental Solutions offers ‘in office’ services to add that extra level of expertise and personal care. To maintain happy, satisfied patients we understand their aesthetic dental concerns and desires. We educate and collaborate with both patients and dentists to find the best path through our knowledge of material selection and required dental records. We work closely with our dentists to plan difficult cases and work chair side with their patients. We have changed many lives one patient at a time. Chris and Dave look forward to future challenges and welcome new customers that share our philosophy, or better still…… who want to be successful and happy!

“Success… The happier you are the more successful you are. Defining success is important, but taking a clear-eyed look at the impact of your definition matters even more. As in most things your intent is important but the results provide the real answers. So forget traditional definitions of success. Forget what other people think. Ask yourself if you feel happy — not just at work, not just at home, not just in those fleeting moments when you do something just for yourself, but overall. If you are happy, you’re successful.”… Excerpt from Jeff Hayden

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46 Peak Performers | Human Resource Management

children, or someone else’s child, I want my legacy to be the same: a business that has its affairs in excellent order. Among the most important of those matters is good lease terms or building ownership options and secondly and most crucially, comprehensive contracts and policies with every staff member. I would not enjoy my retirement nearly so much if my legacy were anything less.

Gold Standard Sellers ensure that the businesses they hand over in exchange for those enormous cheques are something they can be proud of

Mariana Bracic, BA (Hons), JD, is the founding lawyer of mbclegal. ca, whichspecializes in preventive HR-law for doctors, including best-practices contracts and policies.

Given the frequency with which we hear almost identical stories from trusting dentists who bought from “Louis XV” sellers, it seems odd that there is a deafening silence in the dental profession about the issue. In the legal profession, many regulatory bodies and associations have been exhorting lawyers for many years to increase civility within the legal profession. In my view, it is similarly desirable to increase the respect between generations of dentists, especially in their conduct at the time of sale. I hope this article contributes to the start of a dialogue on the issue of inter-generational respect within the profession, and aspiring to be a Peak Performer at the time of sale, as well as during ownership. Gold Standard Sellers are dentists who are peak performers both in the way they manage their practices, and in the “best practices” way they transition their businesses to the younger generation of buyers. Gold Standard Sellers ensure that the businesses they hand over in exchange for those enormous cheques are something they can be proud of, rather than something that will give the buyer many sleepless nights and cost them tens of thousands of dollars (and often six figures) more than they expected. For those sellers who will stay on as associates for some period, it is useful to remember that one cannot sell a practice

and keep it too! Once a dentist has sold a practice, it can sometimes be a real adjustment to stop trying to manage it, and to allow the buyer to manage it the way they wish. That, among other things, is what the buyer has paid for. It is important to note that the sale of the practice is not necessarily a zero-sum game between the buyer and seller. It is very possible, and highly desirable, to make the pie bigger for both dentists. (For more on this topic, please see “How to Keep a Bigger Piece of Your Pie” on the Articles page of www.mbclegal.ca.)

BEING A GOLD STANDARD SELLER IS IN YOUR ENLIGHTENED SELF-INTEREST

While a startlingly high proportion of young dentists come to us to clean up the HR problems in the practice after they have already bought it, a very significant and rising proportion of our clients shows impressive savvy before they purchase. They call us and ask very astute questions about potential employment liabilities. The most important advice we must give them is that the purchase price is not fully disclosed in the Purchase and Sale Agreement. To that PSA amount they must add whatever it will cost to clean up the seller’s HR issues, which often adds six figures to the price. Most industry experts agree that the current vendors’ market will start to turn shortly, given the enormous demographic impact of retiring boomers. As buyers are increasingly savvy even in this sellers’ market, it stands to reason that it will be even further in your financial self-interest to be a Gold Standard Seller in the impending buyers’ market. As Daniel Pink argues in “To Sell is Human”, there will be a transition from a market characterized by caveat emptor to one of caveat venditor (i.e. as there is an equalization of information in the market, it shifts from “buyer beware” to “seller beware”). Whether because it is the right thing to do, or because it is in one’s enlightened selfinterest, I respectfully submit that all of us should aim to leave the legacy of a Gold Standard Seller when transitioning our practices to the next generation, whether they are our children or someone else’s. What will your legacy be?

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D e n t a l M a r ke t p l a c e

Contact: Karen Shaw • tel: 416-510-6770 • fax: 416-510-5140 • e-mail: kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com Toll free: CDA 1-800-268-7742 ext 6770 • Toll free: USA 1-800-387-0273 ext. 6770

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Computer Sales & Services Dental Computer System Integration IT Solutions for Dental Professionals www.iteksolutions.ca

Digital Imaging Integration Network Solutions Office Support and Training

Wayne Chow (416) 561-2888

Security & Telephone Solutions

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ONTER CONSTRUCTION

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www.oralhealthgroup.com PRACTICES & OFFICES MASSEY, ON

Practice for sale, 4 hours from Toronto. Relaxed ground level layout, busy family practice, experienced unique keen staff to ease transition. Contact 705-869-4564 at home or e-mail: liongord@gmail.com

PRACTICE WANTED

Female dentist with 20 yrs of experience looking to buy an established practice within 1hr of Toronto. Willing to cover appraisal cost as well. Contact: dentaldmd1@gmail.com

SAINT ROSE DU LAC – RURAL MANITOBA

Busy 3 chair practice in Medical/Dental center for immediate sale. Well established, financially rewarding, low overhead. All modern Adec equipment. Principal disabled due to an accident. Contact: 204-447-2280 or peterdoig@mymts.net

ORANGEVILLE, ON

Dentist office in Orangeville, New Plaza under construction. Occupancy in Oct ober next to the Orangeville Headwaters Hospital. Please call Sarbjit Bath at 6472989940 or email sarbjitbath@gmail.com

ASSOCIATE BUY IN – CENTRAL BC

Opportunity for EXPERIENCED associate to purchase a busy, established dental office by working it off over time. 5 ops., hygiene, good income. Professional evaluation done. Price negotiable. Owner retiring. Call 1-250-847-4934.

NORTH YORK, ON

1500 SF space available for sale. Dental office space for sale. Great location, suitable layout for 5 ops, over 1500 SF. New, state of the art building (currently under construction), busy residential and commercial area, direct subway access. Occupancy available about August 2014. Please call 647-822-2442 ASAP.

BAYVIEW/SHEPPARD

Dental office with 3 ops for lease in beautiful, prestigious building. Fully furnished, ample parking, steps to subway, long term lease available. Call 416-804-1615 Zore Ghods — Broker (Sutton Sadie Moranis Realty Brokerage).

MISSISSAUGA, ON

1975 sq. ft. in ground floor of prestigious office tower, NW Mississauga. Near 401, 5 ops. plumbed. Available Jan 1, 2014. Call 905-608-0608.

EDMONTON, AB

Downtown office in well managed high rise. Close to professional offices and retail stores. Private parking facility. Large office with beautiful city views. Lots of natural light. Gross $1.4m/yr. 1380 active patients. Vendor motivated. Priced well below appraised value! Contact: ruth@heapsanddoyle.com

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48 Dental Marketplace PRACTICES & OFFICES RICHMOND HILL & NEWMARKET, ON

New spaces for lease in Richmond Hill & Newmarket. Bayview & Elgin Mills in Richmond Hill. 1st & 2nd floor available. Anchor tenants are Shoppers Drug Mart & Tim Hortons. Contact Michael Pearlman 416-567-5101 Email: pearlmanmichael@gmail.com. Bayview & Stonehaven in Newmarket. 3000 sq ft next to Shoppers Drug Mart. Contact Steve Babor 905-737-6222 Email: steve@sitelinesrealty.com

INGLESIDE, ON

(located about 20 minutes from Cornwall and 1 hr. from Ottawa/Montreal) 1200 square foot space available for sale or lease. Terms are flexible. Great demand for dentist in the community. Privy to other opportunities in community if current location deemed unsuitable. Please call Bryan (Pharmacy Owner) at 613-537-2477 or email me at inglesidepharmacy@hotmail.com for more information.

TORONTO, ON

FINCH/DUFFERIN MEDICAL BUILDING with 50 doctors looking for dentist, periodontist, endodontist and dental lab to rent approx. 1,500 SF space. Please send your resume/enquiries to: 2chdrive@gmail.com

BARRIE, ON

Modern, spacious 6 op, all equipped, well established practice for sale. 780k collections. 3 day DDS, 3&1/2 day hygiene. no weekends or evenings. Asking for 650k, owner relocating overseas. E-mail: paulsmith1347@gmail.com

CAREERS

UBC FACULTY OF DENTISTRY GRADUATE PROGRAMS MSc AND PhD IN CRANIOFACIAL SCIENCE PROGRAMS These programs are research-oriented and do not include clinical training. The MSc degree normally requires two years full-time study and can also be taken part-time. The PhD degree requires a minimum of three years. Both offer research training in various oral and dental sciences. • Combined PhD or MSc in Craniofacial Science/Diploma in Endodontics • Combined PhD or MSc in Craniofacial Science/Diploma in Orthodontics • Combined PhD or MSc in Craniofacial Science/Diploma in Pediatric Dentistry • Combined PhD or MSc in Craniofacial Science/Diploma in Periodontics • Combined PhD or MSc in Craniofacial Science/Diploma in Prosthodontics The above programs will offer a minimum three-year MSc degree or a minimum six-year PhD degree combined with a Diploma in their specialty. These programs will prepare the students for clinical practice and provide research experience. Applicants must hold a DMD or its equivalent. FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT WWW.DENTISTRY.UBC.CA OR CONTACT: MRS. VICKI KOULOURIS, MANAGER, vkoulouris@dentistry.ubc.ca; TEL: 604.822-4486/FAX: 604.822-3562 OR MS. JACKIE LEE, fodadms@interchange.ubc.ca/TEL: 604.822-8063 POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS ORAL MEDICINE AND ORAL PATHOLOGY RESIDENCY PROGRAM This postgraduate residency training n Oral Medicine and Oral Pathology is offered in conjunction with University-affiliated teaching hospitals. It consists of a three or four-year hospital-based, stipended residency in one of three pathways: Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, or both specialties combined. GENERAL PRACTICE RESIDENCY PROGRAM In conjunction with three University-affiliated teaching hospitals the Faculty offers positions in a oneyear dental residency program beginning July 1 or June 15 for pediatric residency. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON POSTGRADUATE PROGRAMS VISIT WWW.DENTISTRY.UBC.CA OR CONTACT: MS. DOROTHY STANFIELD, MANAGER, dstanf@interchange.ubc.ca TEL: (604) 822-0345/FAX: (604) 822-4532

ST. CATHARINES, ON

Experienced office administrator/ reception needed full-time for our St. Catharines office. Please send your resume wassim@fortismed.ca

Lake Street Dental in St Catharines is looking for an experienced dental assistant for one to two days a week. Please send your resume as soon as possible to: info@lakestreetdental.ca

ACROSS CANADA New Canadian Implant Distributor of OCO Biomedical Implants seeking experienced Sales Force; opportunities throughout Canada. Forward resumes to: careers@ococanada.com

ONTARIO

General Dentist experienced in Oral Surgery, Implants, Orthodontics Available To Work Part-Time on Weekends in your Office. If interested, please contact Oral Health Office Box 22 email – kshaw@oralhealthgroup.com

IMPLANTS AND PERIODONTICS: SPECIALIST AVAILABLE

Certified periodontist, UWO graduate, available for periodontics and implantology in a general practice or specialty setting. Email torontoperio@gmail.com or call 416-617-0520 for complete resume.

ASS O CI ATESH I P S

BARRIE, ON

Dentist Needed asap for busy office. Full time, in Barrie. Fridays and Saturdays a must, plus 2 additional days. Email resume to barriedentist@gmail.com

CAMBRIDGE, ON Seeking a friendly, motivated full-time associate for a modern dental facility. Email resume to: cambridgedentalop@gmail.com

BARRIE, ON Associate Wanted for a growing family practice in Barrie, Ontario. Experience is preferred. Position is 3-4 days per week and alternate Saturdays. Candidate must be outgoing, friendly and good with patients of all ages. Please submit resume to barriedentist@rogers.com

TISDALE, SK

Associateship or buy in opportunity in busy dental practice in Northeast Saskatchewan. Tisdale Dental Group is looking for an associate or buy in partner in Tisdale, Sask. Moving into new Tisdale Health Plex Complex in near future. For further information and details contact Tisdale Health Plex Dental Group 306-873-4255, 4247, 4204 fax or email tdhc.connie@sasktel.net

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Dental Marketplace

ASS O CI ATESH I P S

BARRIE, ON

Looking for orthodontist in Barrie. Busy neighborhood. Start date December 2013. Please forward your résumé to dental_manager@ hotmail.com

KITCHENER, ON FULL TIME ASSOCIATE

Looking for a full time dentist for a busy practice in Kitchener. Please forward resume to dr.deman@rogers.com

OAKVILLE, ON

Associate wanted part time with no weekends. 1-year experience is required. This is an exceptional opportunity for a highly motivated and caring individual to join our growing practice. We have a very modern facility with a hard tissue laser, digital radiography, and other advanced technology. Please e-mail your resume to oakvilledentalcare@gmail.com

TORONTO, ON

Dentist required for downtown Toronto office. Having your own patients is a plus. E-mail: tooth32@295.ca with your resume.

BURLINGTON, ON

We are looking for a friendly, out going, experienced dentist to join our team. We are a family practice and we’re looking for someone who will treat our patients like family. Please forward CVs to assoc.wanted@gmail.com

GRANDE PRAIRIE, AB

A full time associate/colleague needed for our well established, busy family practice, with travel to our satelite clinic in High Prairie, AB. Our practice offers all aspects of family dentistry including implants. If you are trustworthy, friendly and committed to excellence please contact Christa or Dr. Roy at: 780-539-6883 or email resume to drroy04@telus.net

KW AREA ASSOCIATE

Busy, generational practices with great new patient flow. We offer a full schedule, great hours and energetic, friendly & knowledgeable staff to work with. Please reply to: dentistsreply@yahoo.ca

AIRDRIE AND EDMONTON, AB

Excellent Airdrie and Edmonton location in Alberta; FT Associate positions available with buy in option. Owners are team of excellent experienced clinicians who are fun to work and you can expect ample vacation and balance between family and work with above average income. Please apply in confidence to doffice05@gmail.com

CENTRAL ALBERTA

Endodontist and Pedodontist required for Central Alberta. The lack of Specialists in Central Alberta makes this a fantastic opportunity for the right candidate. Please submit resume to dentalsdg@gmail.com

BURLINGTON, ON

Endodontist needed for Burlington Dental Practice 2 – 3 days per month to start. Email CV to excellenceinpractise@gmail.com

LLOYDMINSTER, ALBERTA (Population 32,000 – 2hrs drive from Edmonton or Saskatoon). Direct flights available from Lloydminster to Calgary

Full time position available for a quality-conscious, motivated associate wishing to practice in a modern, well-established family oriented practice with well established clientele. Monday to Friday daytime hours. Excellent team and patient-oriented, energetic staff. Adherence to recent ADA regulatory standards and dedication to patient care is our first priority. New grads welcome. If interested in joining our welcoming community, please contact: Mimi McMaster at 780-871-4550 or e-mail: mimimcmaster@shaw.ca

PETERBOROUGH ASSOCIATE

4 – 5 days available for General Dental Associate for Two different high-tech offices. Potential Partnership for a right person. Above average remuneration. Please send your CV to dental.associate.east@gmail.com

ORILLIA, ON

Part time associate required 1-2 days per week for busy general family practice. Please forward resume to dental_2010@live.ca

SASKATOON, SK

Full and part time associate opportunities in very busy modern family practice. Fax CV to 866-764-1860 or call Bob in confidence at 306-260-6919.

ASSOCIATES FOR HAMILTON & WATERLOO, ON

Associates required, for TWO VERY busy and modern practices with VERY strong new patient flow. E-mail: associatedentist@ymail.com Fax CV: 888-880-4024

THOMPSON, MB Westwood dental clinic in Thompson, MB team looking for enthusiastic dentist full time or part time. Decent income plus accommodation. E-mail: westwooddental@hotmail.com or tel 204-677-4526.

BRAMPTON, ON

Dental associate required for general practice. Well experienced in endodontics and restorative procedures. Monday and every other Saturday to start possibility for full time. Must have a passion for dentistry. New grads welcome to apply. Please send cover letter and resume to dentalfcdo@gmail.com

EDMONTON, AB Looking for an associate (part/full time) to join our group of multidisciplinary practices which are focused on the highest quality of patient care and using the latest technology available. We are looking for a self-motivated, high-energy, clinically strong candidate who is interested in learning and continuing education. This is a great opportunity for the right candidate to grow with our expanding group and to work in a great environment. Buy-in opportunities are also available for the long-term associates. If you are interested, please email your CV in confidence to edmontondentalcareer@gmail.com oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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50 Dental Marketplace ASS O CI ATESH I P S

Bright, busy, modern well established practice. Superior Compensation Package $20K-$25K per month range. Cheerful, professional & efficient staff. Vibrant and active community in pristine setting. Graduates and Experienced Dentists welcome. Please e-mail resumes to firstline_dental@hotmail.ca

BARRIE, ON

Associate required in busy Barrie office. Well established practice looking for an associate to work one to two days to start, moving to 3 or 4 days next June. Associate will have the opportunity to buy into the practice. Interested candidates should apply to barrieassociate@gmail.com

SASKATOON, SK Associate required for modern, very busy practice with strong new patient flow. Great opportunity in a University setting. E-mail: associatedentist@ymail.com Fax CV: 888-880-4024.

OAKVILLE, ON

Associate required for busy general practice. 2 days a week, no evenings or weekends. Email: reception@oakvilledental.ca

TORONTO, ON Busy, growing Toronto dental office looking for the following providers to join its team: • Endodontist • Periodontist • Orthodontist Please contact Janice at 416-248-0045 or  e-mail: kiplingdixondentist@gmail.com

EAST OTTAWA, ON

Full time associate dentist needed for state of the art practice in a growing bedroom community in East Ottawa, ON. New graduates welcome. Opportunities to buy in. E-mail: lisa-hawkins@hotmail.com

VICTORIA, BC Dental Associate Wanted

2 to 3 days a week starting in November for established Royal Oak practice with an Active Recall Program. Minimum 2 years experience required, preferably trained on Cerec Machine. Email: Shane@RoyalOakDentalClinic.com

TORONTO AND GTA, ON Endodontist seeks full time or part time associationship. Email: fzsl@yahoo.com Phone: 416-875-0582.

INNISFIL, ON

Long term permanent, part-time associate position in a highly established, busy practice. We have great patients and long time staff with great attitudes. Must be able to provide excellent dentistry in a fun and professional atmosphere. No evenings and no weekends. Please forward resume to drspatton@rogers.com

ASSOCIATES WANTED FOR NOVA SCOTIA AND ONTARIO Full and Part time associates required for multiple busy practices. We offer all aspects of dentistry and a terrific team to work with. Mentorship opportunity available. Please send resume to claudia@maritimedentalgroup.ca

BROCKVILLE, ON

Dentist – Associate position available for the Brockville Area. Position available 2-3 days a week. 8:30am – 4:30pm Email: info@georgestdental.ca

WOODSTOCK, ON Just 30 minutes from London or Kitchener, a great opportunity for associate position and/or buy into a prosperous family practice offering all modes of dentistry. Approaching our 7th year in this modern and beautiful facility, we are having difficulty keeping up with the demand for quality dentistry and our tremendous growth rate. Please send your resumes to woodstockdental@yahoo.com or contact Bianca at 416-244-5544. A seasoned practitioner who is comfortable treating children as well as adults, is preferred — endodontic and orthodontic experience would be an asset, however, all candidates will be considered.

www.oralhealthgroup.com

FULL TIME ASSOCIATE WANTED — NORTHERN ONTARIO (TIMMINS AREA)

MISSISSAUGA, ON

Part time leading to Full time associate wanted for a busy well established family practice. Our practice offers comprehensive care with a strong emphasis on periodontal health offering an on-site periodontist. We are looking for an experienced, compassionate, friendly Dentist with strong clinical and communication skills who aspires to provide patients with high standards of care. All replies will be kept confidential. Please email: burnhamthorpedental@yahoo.ca

CALGARY F/T ASSOCIATE MON-THURS 7-4 7op, modern, digital, paperless. All aspects of general dentistry in family practice. Starting Sept 2013. Seeking excellent communication skills and quality patient care. Please email resume in confidence: calgarydentalposition@gmail.com

OTTAWA, ON

ASSOCIATE WANTED to work between two busy dental offices in west end Ottawa. Once a caring, ethical, good-conversationalist associate is hired, one of the two dentists plans to retire, leaving behind almost 5,000 active patients. Both offices feature modern facilities, friendly patient bases and efficient, hard-working staff. Phone: (613) 224-7885 E-mail: ottawadentist@live.ca

EDMONTON, AB A full time associate dentist required to take over an existing full patient load from the current associate who is leaving. This truly is a very unique opportunity for a new associate to be immediately busy from day one. The office is bright, modern and very well equipped and is continually updating the core systems to better position the office for the future. If your primary focus is the needs and well being of the patients, and if you are willing and able to work with others in a larger group practice environment then this clinic is right for you. A positive attitude, a sense of humor and some flexibility in scheduling will lead to a very successful and rewarding position for the right individual. Email: qdental@shaw.ca 780-965-3787.

OCTOBER 2013 | Oral Health Office | oralhealthgroup.com

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Dental Marketplace

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WHITEHORSE, YUKON

OAKVILLE, ON

Come enjoy the beauty of the great north in the beautiful city of Whitehorse, Yukon. Have the best of both worlds. Hiking, fishing, biking, sking are all waiting for you to enjoy!! Busy 8 operatory practice looking for a full time general dentist. Please fax resume to Pine Dental Clinic at 867-668-5121 or email us at pinedental@northwestel.net

Experienced dental associate opportunity required for a well-established & prestigious family practice in Oakville. We offer the latest technology and all aspects of dentistry. Flexible schedule including some evening and Saturday hours. Seeking a positive, energetic individual with excellent clinical and communication skills who is eager to join our progressively growing team. Please email oakvillesmiles@hotmail.com

VAUGHAN, ON

HAMILTON-NIAGARA REGION, ON

P/T Associate required for growing practice in Vaughan, ON. ESSENTIALS: Experienced, productive, Continuing Ed. oriented, MUST follow set systems, coachable, detailed, +ve attitude, team player, caring, outstanding people skills & chairside personality. Saturdays a must. Build your schedule as you grow personally & professionally. Join our awesome team to work, learn, grow. Email CV2 : drzoom2@gmail.com

MISCELLANEOUS TORONTO, ON

New and unused Safeguard Business Systems file/charts and other accessories for immediate sale. Photos and list of items are available upon request. Will consider a reduced price if purchasing all materials. Please contact Lilly at 416-789-1372 or email info@aestheticsindentistry.com

ASSOCIATES REQUIRED

Associate driven offices are looking for experienced dentists in the HamiltonNiagara Region. Independence to do the dentistry you always wanted to do. 2-5 days per week. Excellent communication skills needed. Be part of an experienced team. Send your CV to fenworthdentalmanager@live.ca Positions available immediately.

CALGARY, AB

FULL TIME ASSOCIATE DENTIST Associate required to take over a well established existing patient base of a busy, progressive dentist in a successful group practice. The clinic offers state of the art equipment and delivers all aspects of general dentistry including orthodontics, oral surgery, implants, endodontics and esthetics. The entire practice is supported by an excellent hygiene recare program. Ideal candidate must have experience and be highly motivated with excellent communication and clinical skills. This is an excellent opportunity for a dentist who has a commitment to quality treatment, service, care and continuing education. Please apply in confidence to: linda@nosehilldental.com or call 403-241-4227 for further information.

www.oralhealthgroup.com

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I N D E X

National Children’s Oral Health Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Oral Science . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, OBC Patterson Dental . . . . . . . . . . 4, 20-21 Philips Oral Healthcare . . . . . . . . 7, 11 PTIFA – Pacific Dental Institute of Facial Aesthetics . . . . . . . . 34-35

oralhealthgroup.com | Oral Health Office | OCTOBER 2013

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