Dentistry North Texas
VOLUME 3
|
ISSUE 2
a business and lifestyle magazine for north texas dentists
Smiles in the Spotlight
Jeffrey Pope, DDS, MS Generalized Severe Recession in the Maxillary Anterior
Practice Trends
Is Your Dental Practice Ready for an Uptick in Business?
Technology Update The Best Gift Ever
When Kids Require General Anesthesia Dentistry
Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center
Call 800.232.3826 or visit us online at www.AFTCO.net for a free practice appraisal, a $2,500 value! AFTCO is the oldest and largest dental practice transition consulting firm in the United States. AFTCO assists dentists with associateships, purchasing and selling of practices, and retirement plans. We are there to serve you through all stages of your career.
Janet L. Ramlal, D.D.S. (Baylor College of Dentistry 1990)
has acquired the practice of
Mahboobeh Bayat, D.D.S. (Tehran College of Dentistry 1984)
Farmers Branch, Texas AFTCO is pleased to have represented both parties in this transaction.
AFTCO is the only company that has sold dental practices with a cumulative value of over $1,500,000,000
Dentistry North Texas
When Kids Require General Anesthesia
ON THE COVER
Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center
5
12
14
16 18
8
ON THE COVER: Dentists in North Texas have found a trusted partner in Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center, who helps referring dentists retain patients and ensure that young patients get the care they need safely and efficiently.
22
24
26
28
30
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY
Diversity Initiatives Lead to Well Deserved Recognition Dr. Ernestine Lacy recipient of ADEA Giles Award
PRACTICE MANAGEMENT
Treatment Acceptance Success Strategies The key to the successful dental practice
MONEY MATTERS
Securing Your Financial Future Strategies to Consider
SMILES IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Dr. Jeffrey Pope Treatment of generalized severe recession in the maxillary anterior
PRACTICE MARKETING
Top 10 Things Every Dentist Should Know Tips for successful Pay-Per-Click Advertising
PRACTICE TRENDS
Is Your Practice Ready for an Uptick in Business? Planning for a busier practice
COMMUNITY NEWS
The TEXAS Meeting Its Mission: Educate, Innovate, Inspire
WINE CELLAR
What’s in a Name? Who says the wine industry is stuffy?
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE
The Best Gift Ever What’s new in stem cell storage
PRODUCT NEWS
Orascoptic launches New XV1 The world’s first wireless loupe and headlight in one www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
3
from the publisher
Dentistry North Texas
Publisher | LuLu Stavinoha Photographer | Ray Bryant, Bryant Studios Contributing Writers | Feridoon Amini, Tina Cauller, Misty Absher Clark, Kim Clarke, Jennifer E. Fuentes, Cathy Jameson, Dr. Richard V. Lyschik, Dr. Jeffrey Pope, Neil Rudoff
The weather is changing and spring has arrived. An energy and excitement is felt as we celebrate the end of winter and look forward to sunny cool days. I love this time of year!
For this issue’s cover story North Texas Dentistry presents Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center. The surgery center provides care for children using general anesthesia in a hospital setting without the overnight stay. Its target population is children ages 2-8 who need dental care but cannot be treated using traditional methods. C1DS is a state licensed Ambulatory Surgery Center including a PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit). The facility and service is impressive and C1DS strives to fill a need in the North Texas dental community.
A case by periodontist, Dr. Jeffrey Pope of Preston Hollow Periodontics & Implantology presents Smiles in the Spotlight. Follow his treatment procedure for a patient who presented with generalized, severe recession (an acquired mucogingival deformity) on the maxillary and mandibular arches.
This issue of North Texas Dentistry covers a broad spectrum of engaging editorial. Practice Management discusses strategies for successful case presentations while Money Matters examines interesting
options for securing your economic future in these uncertain economic times. Practice Marketing looks at methods needed for a successful pay-per-click program. Enjoy these articles and more!
Mark your calendar to celebrate and enjoy The TEXAS Meeting which will be held May 2-5 in San Antonio at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The mission for this year’s meeting is: Educate, Innovate, Inspire. I hope to see many of you at the TDA!
Ray Bryant
PHOTOGRAPHY
Tina Cauller
WRITING / DESIGN
North Texas Dentistry continues to work to finalize its line-up for 2013 and is looking for recommendations for cover stories, profiles, Smiles in the Spotlight cases, engaging editorial and information for inclusion in News & Notes. For more information or to make a recommendation, call 214-629-7110 or email: info@northtexasdentistry.com.
Thanks to all of you who support North Texas Dentistry and make this publication possible! Keep smiling and have a great day! LuLu
LuLu Stavinoha, RDH Publisher
Remember to “Like” us on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/NorthTexasDentistry
4 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of editorial material published in North Texas Dentistry, articles may contain statements, opinions, and other information subject to interpretation. Accordingly, the publisher, editors and authors and their respective employees are not responsible or liable for inaccurate or misleading data, opinion or other information in material supplied by contributing authors. Copyright 2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction in part or in whole without written permission is prohibited.
Advertise in North Texas Dentistry For more information on advertising in North Texas Dentistry, call LuLu Stavinoha at (214) 629-7110 or email lulu@northtexasdentistry.com. Send written correspondence to: North Texas Dentistry P.O. Box 12623 Dallas, TX 75225
TAMBCD diversity initiatives lead to well-deserved recognition for program director Dr. Ernestine Lacy, recipient of the American Dental Education Association’s Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement for a Dental Educator
By Jennifer E. Fuentes Dr. Ernestine Lacy, professor and executive director of student development and multicultural affairs, is not one to seek recognition. That’s why in fall 2012 three colleagues at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry decided to seek it for her.
A nomination letter was sent in October, and less than two months later, Drs. Charles Berry, Barbara Miller and Lawrence Wolinsky — the administrators who nominated her — had their news. Lacy, executive director of student development and multicultural affairs, had been selected as a recipient. The honor: the American Dental Education Association’s Gies Award for Outstanding Achievement for a Dental Educator, presented by the ADEA Gies Foundation.
On March 18, in front of a crowd of peers from across the country, Lacy was recognized with the prestigious award, this year given to just two dental educators. The presentation occurred at a special celebration during the 2013 ADEA Annual Session & Exhibition in Seattle. A panel of judges from the ADEA Gies Foundation Board of Trustees considered Lacy’s vision, innovation and achievement in dental education when making their decision.
“Dr. Lacy’s caring and compassionate per-
sonality has made her a natural fit for this role at our college,” says Wolinsky, TAMBCD dean. “A consummate educator, she inspires excellence and serves as an exceptional role model. We are so proud to have her as part of our dental school family.”
According to Miller, executive director of recruitment and admissions, Lacy’s achievement can be summed up as a “near miracle of sorts.” “Dr. Lacy has facilitated diversity and inclusion at our dental school with grace and wisdom,” Miller says. “Her work will continue to improve access to dental care for growing segments of our population that remain historically underserved by dentistry.”
Since Lacy, a TAMBCD alumnus, began targeting diversity issues through the college’s outreach programs in 1996, the college has seen remarkable growth in diversity, with underrepresented minorities now comprising 34 percent of the student body.
The Summer Predental Enrichment Program — which gives high schoolers, college students and recent post-baccalaureate grads the opportunity to increase their dental career awareness and competitiveness through hands-on activities and study skills — has also grown exponentially.
What began in the 1990s as a three-week, four-student program has since grown to an eight-week, multilevel program with 125 participants each year.
In summer 2012, Lacy received news that the college would be able to further expand its Bridge to Dentistry programs, which serve students from pre-kindergarten through postdoctoral education, through a $3.4 million, five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Center of Excellence program.
Berry, associate dean for academic affairs, says Lacy has been able to achieve these goals because rather than merely talking about the needs of underserved populations, she has taken definitive steps to address the problem.
“Her record of achievement in addressing the diversity issue among dental applicants is without comparison,” Berry says. “She has become a nationally recognized proponent and authority in diversity in dentistry and access to care. n
Jennifer Eure Fuentes is a communications specialist at Texas A&M Health Science Center Baylor College of Dentistry. A 2006 graduate of Texas Christian University, she has worked in the communications and editorial field for seven years.
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
5
cover feature
An anesthesiologist monitors EKG and secures the airway for patient safety and comfort prior to dental treatment.
When Kids Require General Anesthesia Dentistry
Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center
I
magine you are behind schedule and up next is a screaming, terrified 3-year-old patient who needs a lot of work. The 3-year-old’s entire family have been great patients for years and you do not want to lose them. A papoose board is upsetting to the family, your staff and other patients, and the risks and time associated with conscious sedation is really something you like to avoid.
6 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
by Tina Cauller
This and similar events are typical for dentists all over the country. However, many dentists in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have found a wonderful solution that allows them to keep the entire family as patients and continue working, without interruption, in a productive efficient manner by referring the 3-year-old to Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center.
The team of doctors at Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center (C1DS) provide dental treatment for children ages 2-8 in a state licensed Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) under deep sedation or general anesthesia and C1DS always refers your patient back to you. The ASC is equipped like a small hospital without overnight accommodations where an anesthesiologist administers the anesthesia and monitors your patient’s vitals.
C1DS patients not only include children who have difficulty cooperating due to a lack of maturity or an inability to communicate, but children with a mental, physical or medical disability who don’t respond adequately to behavioral guidance or conscious sedation. For these children, even obtaining a diagnostic x-ray may not be feasible in a conventional office setting. General anesthesia dentistry is also helpful for children who cannot be treated with local anesthesia because of acute infection, anatomic variations, or allergy. Treatment under general anesthesia may also be indicated when a child needs extensive restoration and/or surgery.
Safe, comfortable and efficient
For these special dental cases, C1DS offers a safe, ideal alternative by providing both a Medical and Dental Team approach in an ASC setting. The Medical Team is led by a residency-trained anesthesiologist, with a supporting group of registered nurses, that regulate each child’s safe, peaceful sleep, similar to hospital based dentistry. The Dental Team is led by the dentist and two registered dental assistants for efficient six-handed dentistry to minimize anesthesia time. This dual team approach, coupled with the latest technology and equipment in a state certified ambulatory surgery center, is “the C1DS advantage” according to Dr. Craig Jacobs, owner and managing member of C1DS.
The process starts with the anesthesiologist medicating the patient to sleep safely and comfortably, followed with an exam, oral photographs and diagnostic digital radiographs to determine the specific treatment. After the necessary treatment plan has been identified by the dentist, it is forwarded and reviewed electronically with parents in a private consultation room for consent. Once informed parental consent is obtained, treatment proceeds immediately and is completed in just one visit.
Although the ambulatory surgery center and dual team approach for C1DS is a considerably more costly platform to work in, when compared to a dental office that hires an anesthesiologist to administer general anesthesia or deep sedation, the specialized equipment and expertise of the personnel available at the ASC and C1DS affords an additional layer of patient safety not available in an office. Dr. Jacobs reports, “The well being and safety of each child is first and foremost for C1DS” – and this fundamental concept of safety first at Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center is emphasized in their very name.
At Children’s 1st Dental & Surgery Center, the patient age demographic is 2-8. Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center has both pediatric dentists and general dentists on staff and all the dentists have extensive experience with operatory dentistry for children. The anesthesiologists at C1DS determine if the patient is a good candidate for general anesthesia by employing the patient classification guidelines established by the American Society of Anesthesiology. Accordingly, patients who meet ASA Class I & ASA Class II are considered good candidates for general anesthesia at the Center. In select cases, an ASA Class III patient can be treated at C1DS with medical clearance from the patient’s pediatric physician. A trusted partner for referring dentists
Upon completion of treatment, the patient is transferred from the operatory to PACU (Post Anesthesia Care Unit), where the anesthesiologist and PACU nurse monitor each patient’s heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, and blood oxygen levels until stable. Prior to discharge, the R.N. provides thorough post-operative instructions to parents, including the importance of proper oral hygiene and preventive care techniques. The “Home Care Instructions” patients receive at C1DS includes a bold, highlighted entry that reads, “PLEASE CALL YOUR FAMILY DENTIST in 5 MONTHS to SCHEDULE YOUR CONTINUING CARE VISIT”. According to Dr. Jacobs, “This reflects the C1DS policy to always refer the patient back to the referring dentist.” At the conclusion of care, the treating dentist at C1DS mails a copy of the completed treatment plan to the referring dental office.
The C1DS mission is to be the trusted referral source for dentists whose patients, ages 2-8 requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation, can be referred with confidence for safe, vital dental care. www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
7
The C1DS “team” approach allows the pediatric dentist to focus on treatment while the anesthesiologist insures patient’s stable vitals and peaceful sleep in a state certified Ambulatory Surgical Center dedicated exclusively to children’s dentistry.
C1DS photographs and x-rays help determine the treatment plan.
8 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
Full mouth restoration case referred to C1DS. All treatment was completed in one visit.
At Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center, patient safety is enhanced by reducing anesthesia time with six-handed dentistry.
Helping parents defeat the real bedtime monster
Most parents would do anything for the safety and happiness of their child. However, the same parent that reads a nightly bedtime story and chases away the imagined monster under the bed may be ignoring a real bedtime monster.
The most caring parents may not be aware that tucking their child in at night with a sippy cup of juice or a bottle of milk, or nursing at bedtime exposes their child’s teeth to a dangerous attack by sugar and acids over a period of hours and greatly increases the chance for cavities. Cavities can develop on the lingual surface of the front teeth and progress without notice until they reach a severe stage.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of preschool-age children with cavities is climbing. Dentists commonly report an increased incidence of children who have 6-10 cavities at their very first dental visit. This troubling trend is occurring in families of all income levels. In some cases, dental decay is extensive and severe.
If a child develops a dental abscess, he or she may need immediate care to avoid a potentially life-threatening emergency. The path to prevention
Parents may not realize that they need to start brushing their child’s teeth at age one with fluoride toothpaste. There is a common belief that the health of primary teeth is unimportant because they will fall out as the child matures. In fact, primary teeth are critically important for chewing, speech and jaw development, and self-esteem. They serve as placeholders for the permanent teeth, and if the permanent teeth develop in an unhealthy mouth, they are at greater risk for decay as well.
The staff at C1DS help parents become informed defenders of their children’s oral health. Educating parents about healthful oral habits gives them the tools they need to protect their child’s health and to encourage kids to take responsibility for their own health as they become more independent.
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
9
With treatment complete, the anesthesiologist, RN and RDA transfer the patient from the operatory to the PACU.
An anesthesiologist and RN monitor the patient in the five-station PACU recovery prior to discharge.
WHAT REFERRING DENTISTS ARE SAYING
“We refer to Children 1st because we know we'll get our patients back. It's been close to two years since we began referring to them and the feedback from the parents of our patients has been excellent. We receive a detailed completed treatment plan and Children 1st has even referred patients who don't need sedation to us. Before Children 1st, we used to refer our patients to a pediatric dentist in the area, but they began recalling our patients so we ended the relationship. We have a true partner in Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center.” Dr. Suzanne Appolito, Dr. Susan Edwards, Dr. Sarah Cantrell Dentistry for Children (214) 275-4720 3600 Gus Thomasson Suite 127, Mesquite, TX 75150
“We enjoy referring to Children 1st because they can get our patients treated within the same week. They complete the treatment in one visit and we can count on them sending the patients right back to us. They have a very simple referring process and they guide us every step of the way. They really care about our patients and understand the importance of a partnership.” Dr. Sneha Ramolia, Dr. Mike Parks Clean Dental (469) 828-1166 4907 Spring Ave, Dallas, TX 75210
10 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
Referring dentists confidently send their patients to Children 1st, knowing they will receive the best care. They can also feel confident that their patients will always be directed back to their office for follow-up care. Recalling patients is not part of the Children 1st business model.
With centers in both Mesquite and Grand Prairie, Children 1st is able to serve children all over the DFW area, and has referral relationships with more than 300 dental offices. Children 1st Dental & Surgery Centers accept most dental insurance plans, as well as Medicaid and CHIP. The multilingual staff can converse in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, German and American Sign Language. n
For more information about Children 1st Dental & Surgery Center, call (855) 422-0224 or visit www.children1stdental.com.
Children 1st Dental & Surgery Centers n Mesquite 2690 N. Galloway Avenue (972) 279-1200 n Grand Prairie 3055 W. Bardin Rd. #400 (214) 412-1500
FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY WITH A
ON DENTISTRY
creating compelling professional images that speak for your practice
817.966.2631 www.Bryant Studios.com raybryant@me.com
practice management
Success Strategies
TREATMENT ACCEPTANCE
FOR THE MODERN DENTAL PRACTICE By Cathy Jameson and Misty Absher Clark
If a person doesn’t first want the dentistry, it really doesn’t matter how well
you perform the dentistry itself, make a financial arrangement, schedule an
appointment or anything else. People buy what they want long before they buy what they need. So, there’s your ultimate challenge: helping people want
what you believe they need. How you present your recommendations makes
all the difference. If “plan, prepare and present” are the three Ps of treatment
acceptance, photography is another fitting element not to be forgotten in the treatment acceptance strategies for success. Case presentation is the fulcrum
of your practice – an all-important business system you must have in a refined
state to be optimizing productivity and profitability, while reducing stress.
Plan
Study your diagnostic data, determine the plan of action that would benefit the patient optimally and organize your presentation. Invest time and attention in the planning of a case prior to the presentation to the patient. You’ll quickly find that carefully scheduling time into your work day for the planning of your cases is some of the most valuable time you spend each week. The doctors and/or teams who carefully organize and plan cases do a better job of presenting, take less time doing so and achieve much better results. Data shows some interesting statistics related to people who are involved in sales. The people who are most successful in sales spend about
40% of their time presenting and demonstrating, about 10% of their time doing administrative functions and about 50% of their time qualifying and planning. In comparison, other people in various sales positions who are much less successful spend about 80-90% of their time presenting and demonstrating. The point here is that if you spend quality time planning the case and preparing for the presentation, you will spend less time in the presentation itself and have more people agreeing with your recommendations.
Photography will be crucial to your planning, so make sure you’re taking digital photographs of your patient each visit so you may refer to those tools as you plan the case.
12 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
Prepare
Once you have gathered and studied a patient’s appropriate clinical and personal data, prepare for your presentation. Carefully plan the case: what you want to do to accomplish optimum health or appearance, where you want to start, how you will proceed on sequential appointments, how many teeth you will work on per appointment, how much time you will need for each appointment and how much time you will need between appointments (if this is appropriate).
Prepare a digitally rendered, smooth-flowing, branded treatment plan featuring before and after photography of similar cases and the current patient’s mouth. Carefully and specifically outline optimum treatment. Remember, your team will not be able to answer the patient’s questions appropriately, make excellent financial arrangements or schedule effectively without this critical information.
As you are preparing for your presentation, remember that you are presenting dental recommendations to someone who knows nothing about dentistry. Record yourself and go through exercises with your advisor to see how many times you use language that is foreign to a dental novice. The key
to learning is repetition. We’ve found that patients need to hear or see something five to seven times before they take action. Your presentation and everything about the experience you provide must be triggering buying behavior in the patient. You must be ready to repeat the treatment plan and help them understand – and want – what it is you’re saying they need.
Present
The attention span of an adult in a presentation situation is about 17 minutes. You don’t have much time to get the person’s attention, make your presentation, identify and overcome objections and close. If you lose someone during a presentation, it is quite difficult to recapture that person’s attention. You must stay in control of the situation.
Don’t get too technical. Don’t go into too much detail. Don’t do too much talking. You can, actually, listen your way to case acceptance. Listening may be the most important communicative tool that you will use during your case presentation. Here are four critical factors to incorporate into your presentation: 1. You stay in control of a situation by asking questions and listening. By asking questions, you identify motivators and objections. Vary your questions. Ask questions that keep the person involved and keep them thinking about how your recommendations will meet their needs or benefit them.
2. You identify objections by asking questions. Don’t be afraid of objections. They are the steps necessary to the close. If you never know what may be getting in the way of having a person proceed, you will never have a chance to handle the objection. The first step to problem solving is to identify the problem (or the objection). Once the problem has been identified, you can begin to work on possible solutions. If a person presents an objection, know that they are interested in your proposal; they just have some things to work out. On the other hand, if they never present an objec-
tion, they may not be interested at all. So, an objection is, in reality, a gift. Don’t be afraid of objections. Our friend and client, Dr. Mark Hyman, tells us that he asks his new patients what caused them to make a change in their dental home. That gives him an understanding of what fears he needs to carefully overcome. Dr. Jameson asked every new patient what their goal for their mouth, their teeth and their smile was, and then about their expectations of him. These crucial questions open many doors and have the patient dropping barriers, opening up and literally asking for your expertise.
3. Be careful with your words and with your presentation style. We encourage you to pass several word options by a person who is non-dental. Let them tell you if the word turned them off, if they understood the word and if the word interested them. Be creative. Use word pictures to support your presentation. And remember, those smiling patient (non retracted) before and after smile photos mean more to the patient than many things you could say.
In addition, be ever aware of your body language. Approximately 60% of the perception of a message, whether you are sending or receiving it, is body language. Be well dressed and well groomed. Be alert. Lean slightly toward the person to whom you are presenting. When you want them to look at your visual aid (such as the computer monitor where visual images are appearing), you need to look that way. When you want to make a point, stop and look at the patient. Their eyes and their attention will follow your direction.
Practice tone of voice. About 30% of the perception of a message is the tone of voice. So, practice this. Are you monotone or is your voice interesting, dynamic, convincing? If you come across as bored and uninterested, your patients will follow suit. If you don’t make this treatment seem interesting and relevant, your patients won’t think so either. 4. Involve as many of the senses as possible. However, there is no more intensely important sense to stimulate
than the sense of sight. Photography of every patient at every visit before, during and after treatment will create a wealth of information for you to refer to at exactly the right moment.
In summary
The fulcrum of your practice is your case presentation. Everything in your practice springboards from this critical system. Focus on your case presentation skills and make a commitment to continually improve those skills. Learn to ask questions and listen. Master the use of visual aids and photography in your presentations. Learn how to identify objections and then be prepared to handle those objections. There is more dentistry sitting in your charts waiting to be done than you could probably ever do in the rest of your career. Get the dentistry out of the charts and into the mouths of your patients by making your treatment acceptance the main focus of your practice. n
Cathy Jameson, PhD, is founder and chief visionary officer of Jameson Management, Inc., where Misty Absher Clark serves as vice president creative services. The Jameson team of advisors help improve the lives of dental professionals worldwide through practice management, marketing and clinical coaching. For more information, visit www.JamesonManagement.com, where you can see about Cathy’s latest book, Success Strategies for the Aesthetic Dental Practice, or register for complimentary webinars. Also, call (877) 369-5558 to speak with a Jameson team member about your treatment acceptance or one of the other 25 business systems of a practice.
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
13
money matters
Securing Your Financial Future by Richard V. Lyschik, DDS, FAGD
T
he old adage that “cash is king” certainly holds true in this global financial crisis that we are in today. The terms “the only certainty is uncertainty” and “the only consistency is inconsistency” only makes it all the more difficult to sort things out and try to plan for your financial future.
This especially holds true for dentists, and even more so for those who own a dental practice. Do you try to ignore what is going on around you, or do you try to come up with a plan to safeguard your future in case of a global financial meltdown? Where do you find help? Who do you trust? Does your accountant know the answers or does he/she seem just as confused as everyone else? Do you seek answers from your financial advisor who may have led you down the path to record losses in your stock portfolio? It’s tough to look for answers, especially in this time of unprecedented financial turmoil.
14 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
You may decide that you are going to have to think this through on your own and gather as much information as possible before you start making decisions for your future. You may have to rely on your own common sense to sort through your options. Remember, a decision to do nothing is every bit as much of a decision as it is to do something that might, just might, make your future seem more financially secure than the road you find yourself on right now.
What does the future hold for dentistry? Will the current administration try to impose universal healthcare on us all? How will it affect dentistry? Will there be socialized medicine and dentistry? Will medicine and dentistry be nationalized? If any of these alternatives are possible, how will this affect the value of your practice? How much equity do you have in your dental practice? How does the value of your practice come into
play for your plans for retirement? Again, the only certainty is uncertainty, and these are uncertain times.
Would you feel more secure if you could get all of your equity out of your practice now and not wait to see what happens later on? Would you like to protect your practice value now and not take the chance of losing it if the federal government decides to socialize or nationalize dentistry in the future? If you combine the present value of your practice along with your other savings, would it be enough for you to retire on in a relatively secure manner? Or would selling your practice and retaining the right to continue earning income from it for another 5 or 10 years be a good alternative for you?
s s s s s
Richard V. Lyschik, DDS, FAGD is one of AFTCO’s leading innovative Senior Analysts who has helped over 2,900 dentists in associating, buying, expanding, or merging and guided older, disabled and/or “burned out” dentists to sell their practices. Dr. Lyschik’s clients have seen the considerable benefits of incentive programs, pension funding plans and increased productivity through his guidance. There is no substitute for experience in this business. Who better could you choose to talk to about your future transition plans than a seasoned fellow dentist, a recognized premier transition expert, and AFTCO Analyst of the Year Award winner? Check out the impressive AFTCO website at www.AFTCO.net, then call for a free appraisal and a noobligation consultation with Dr. Lyschik at your office or the AFTCO office in Dallas, TX at (214) 893-0410 or 1-800-232-3826.
If you like the idea of:
Securing 100% of your current practice value and equity against the future onslaught of government intervention
Creating capital gains that can be used to off-set most (if not all) of your capital losses from your stock portfolio Being in a cash position for future investment opportunities
Continuing to be an owner of the practice you sold in its entirety for another 10 or 15 years
Dr. Smith
M ARKE A R K E TING TING LE ADE R S HIP R E TE NTION RETENTION
COLLE C O L L E CTIONS CTIONS
CAS C A S E ACCE A C C E P TANCE TANCE
Hey doc! FYI Sue is out sick today, just called. Also we are out of our letterhead, what do I do?
TTE E AM A M W ORK ORK F INANCING FINANCING
Ok... Oh and your 10am cancelled...
HYGIE NE HYGIENE S CHE DULING SCHEDULING
VE R B AL SKILLS VERBAL S KILLS
Continuing to share in the profits from your practice during that time
– then it’s time for you to think of yourself and for yourself.
An Equity Conversion Program can provide you with those benefits and much, much more. You get to secure your practice value and equity, get into a cash position in this time of uncertainty, share the workload of the practice (both clinical and management), secure your practice value in case of death and/or disability, continue to practice for as long as you’d like, and continue to grow more equity in the practice that you’ve sold, in addition to many useful tax benefits! n www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
15
SMILES SPOTLIGHT in the
LEADERS IN NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY CREATING UNFORGETTABLE SMILES
Procedure
Thorough oral hygiene instructions and a review of tooth brushing technique was given prior to the surgical phase of treatment. A tunnel technique was used in conjunction with AlloDerm® (an acellular dermal matrix) and a coronally advanced flap to cover the mucogingival defects. Briefly, intrasulcular incisions were made around the teeth with an end-cutting knife. A full thickness dissection was performed to the level of the mucogingival junction using a micro-elevator. A modified Orban knife was used for split thickness dissection past the mucogingival junction to create a tension-free flap. Finally, the papillas were elevated using a Younger-Good curette.
The AlloDerm® was hydrated in two separate saline baths for at least 30 minutes prior to being trimmed. The allograft was trimmed into two separate pieces and placed underneath the tunneled tissue without tearing or reflecting any papillas. The graft was secured using interrupted 5-0 chromic gut sling sutures. The tissue was coronally advanced over the allograft using interrupted 6-0 Prolene sling sutures. The patient was instructed to remain on a soft diet and cleanse the area with 0.12% Chlorhexidine Gluconate for two weeks following the surgery.
INITIAL PRESENTATION
Patient History
A 54 year old female patient presented with a past history of kidney transplant due to polycystic kidney disease and was taking several immunosuppressants: CellCept®, Prednisone, and Prograf®. The patient reported no known drug allergies. The patient’s chief complaint was generalized recession in the maxillary anterior.
INITIAL INCISIONS
Clinical Evaluation
The clinical evaluation revealed generalized, severe recession (an acquired mucogingival deformity) on the maxillary and mandibular arches. All probing depths were less than or equal to 3mm and there was no evidence of bone loss. Several class V composite restorations had been placed to cover the exposed root surfaces.
16 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
TENSION-FREE FLAP
Jeffrey Pope, DDS, MS
Preston Hollow Periodontics & Implantology
GRAFT PLACEMENT
CORONALLY ADVANCED FLAP
Results
The patient was followed for multiple post-operative visits and there were no complications following the surgery. The Prolene sutures were removed at the 4-week post-operative visit. One year after treatment, the tissue has remained stable. There is an adequate zone of attached tissue, the gingiva is healthy, and the patient is satisfied with the final result.
TWO WEEKS POST-OP
Dr. Pope was born in Longview, Texas and grew up in Dallas. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Southern Methodist University in 2005. He received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Baylor College of Dentistry in 2009 as well as his Master of Science in Oral Biology and Certificate in Periodontics in 2012.
Dr. Pope’s private practice in Dallas, Texas is limited to periodontics, implant dentistry, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Pope recognizes that every patient’s case is unique and prides himself on giving each patient the individual attention and care they deserve.
Dr. Pope is an active member in many dental and periodontal organizations including the American Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, Dallas County Dental Society, American Academy of Periodontology, Texas Society of Periodontists, and Southwest Society of Periodontists. Dr. Pope is board eligible by the American Academy of Periodontology.
Preston Hollow Periodontics & Implantology Jeffrey Pope, DDS, MS
10246 Midway Road, Suite 101 Dallas, Texas 75229
214-350-8001 www.prestonhollowperio.com
ONE YEAR POST-OP
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
17
Dentistry North Texas
PRACTICE PROFILE
Connect with current and prospective patients and enhance your brand Just For Kids Dental
Endodontic Associates of Irving
MONALI PATEL, DDS & Associates
Kids on Safari: Discovering Smiles
BOARD CERTIFIED PEDIATRIC DENTIST
Manos Sigalas, DDS, MS Nadia Budhani, DMD
Just for Kids Dental Dallas
1026 E. Wheatland, Duncanville, Texas 75116
(972) 296-1835
fax (972) 296-1867
www.justforkidsdallas.com
n n n n
Customized - 4, 6 or 8 pages Professional Writing and Design Professional Photography Third Party Endorsement
SMILES SPOTLIGHT
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND PRICING, CONTACT:
Castle Dental
Exciting Growth, Bright Future
LuLu Stavinoha (214) 629-7110 lulu@northtexasdentistry.com
Dentistry North Texas
in the
Case Presentations
Provided by Leading Doctors in North Texas
n High Resolution Photography n Step by Step Details of Treatment For more information on sharing your expertise in a future Smiles in the Spotlight contact
info@northtexasdentistry.com
18 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
SMILES IN THE SPOTLIGHT CASE PRESENTERS DO NOT PAY A FEE FOR INCLUSION IN THIS FEATURE
214-629-7110
practice marketing
Things Every Dentist Should Know About
I
t happens to us all the time. We usually get a little pushback when we offer Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising as a solution for a dentist who wants to increase new patient flow or target a specific procedure (like dental implants). They often say, “I’ve tried pay-per-click and I hated it!” or “I didn’t see any results from the pay-per-click campaign I did a few years ago, so I’m not doing it again.”
That’s reasonable. Most PPC campaigns are poorly implemented with a set it and forget it attitude. In reality, good pay-perclick campaign management is an art form that needs consistent attention and testing for optimum return-on-investment.
Here’s the big news… if you’re tired of traditional (and increasingly ineffective) advertising and want more targeted website traffic; pay-per-click advertising really
Advertising
by Neil Rudoff is the way to go. Here are a few reasons why:
Approximately 2/3 of all people with high commercial intent (ie., want to book an appointment) click on the sponsored links, or PPC ads. (Wordstream.com, 2012) n
Let’s not forget that Google is a business. They need to make money so they are devoting less space to organic search listings; currently about 18.5% of the search engine results page. This has decreased from around 53% just a few years ago. (Jitbit.com, 2012) n
Google is making it harder and harder for an untrained eye to discern between paid ads (those with a faintly colored background) and organic listings (those with no background), resulting in more clicks to paid ads, rather than organic results.
n
Pay-per-click advertising is here to stay. A good PPC campaign takes work, careful planning, commitment and consistent attention; but if done right, can yield great results. Before you jump head first into the PPC pool, there are ten important things you should know:
1
Paid search can double your website traffic. Many dentists are nervous that a PPC campaign will introduce all sorts of problems or setbacks to their more traditional SEO efforts. It doesn’t. The truth is even if you rank at the top of a Google search by good SEO alone, a paid search campaign won’t compromise your organic (or free) clicks. So, if you are a general dentist wanting more patients or a specialist targeting specific procedures, it could actually double your Google page one exposure. How’s that for ROI?
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
19
2
Spend PPC dollars in the right place. Don’t limit yourself to Google. While they do account for about 65% of search traffic in the United States, Yahoo and Bing make up the remaining 35%. That’s a sizable amount of potential patient traffic that you don’t want to miss out on. Yahoo and Bing tend to have less competition for keywords, so a good PPC campaign can be very affordable with Bing/Yahoo’s AdCenter.
3
Choose your (key)words wisely. The keywords you choose for a PPC campaign are important. Dentists and specialists should have a good sense of what potential patients might enter as a search term when looking for dental services and then, choose keywords based on that. But it’s not that easy; you must also bid on your keywords and tell the search engine how much you’re willing to pay for a click. How much you bid depends on your budget and how quickly you want to book more patients. It doesn’t take much for a PPC campaign to become not only ineffective, but harmful to your online mar-
keting presence. It’s a good idea to consult with PPC specialists when strategically choosing and bidding on keywords because if you don’t, you could end up paying a lot of money for clicks that aren’t likely to convert into appointments being set.
4
PPC ads are an art form. The best PPC ads are short, sweet and have one heck of a value proposition. As with traditional advertising, you want to give searchers a reason why they should click on your ad and book an appointment with you. A well-written PPC ad has an eye-catching headline, body copy that explicitly explains your value proposition and a display URL that is optimized with your keyword and makes sense to the searcher (this will take them to your landing page URL if the searcher clicks on the ad.)
5
Learn to love A/B testing. Always. Be. Testing. That’s our motto, especially for PPC campaigns. Pay-per-click campaigns give dentists a great ability to test different ad copy with different value propositions and offers and almost immediately gather data on which one is working best. Set it and forget it campaigns are missing out on what truly makes a PPC campaign great… the ability to nail down an ad that has proven results!
6
PPC puts your ad in front of the right people. Geo-targeting lets you choose where and to whom your ads are served. So, if you are a specialist who is located in a major city but you’d like to get more dental implant cases from neighboring suburbs, PPC makes sure your ads are served to people in those areas, specifically. It’s true “Bullseye” marketing.
20 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
7
A good quality score can get you to the top of Google. It’s no secret that Google rewards websites that have great content and provide a consistent and relevant experience to people. It’s their way of cutting out on the “spammy” websites we all find so irritating. A Google PPC campaign is no different; they call it your Quality Score. A good quality score can help your ad display at the top of the advertising search results and lets you pay less per click. Needless to say, it’s very important for a well-managed PPC campaign. Keyword relevance in your ad copy, landing page quality and your clickthrough-rate (how often people click on your ads) all make up a PPC campaign’s quality score.
8
Forget your home page and use a landing page. It worked! A potential patient clicked on a PPC ad. Now what? Send them to a custom landing page for the service you are promoting! Landing pages are important for a few reasons; they provide your potential patient with consistent experience, delivering exactly what they are searching for, and they are important to a good Google quality score. When creating landing pages for your PPC campaign, make sure you have a clear call to action above the fold, a compelling offer, no navigation away from the landing page (ie., – don’t send them to another webpage on your website to book an appointment), and a great headline. Don’t forget to A/B Test your landing pages too!
9
You know if PPC is working (or not) quickly and easily. Click-through-rates (CTR) can tell you which of your ads is working best, but dental PPC campaigns are not about increasing website traffic, they’re about conversions (ie., – booked appointments). So, how do you know which landing pages are leading your new patients to call and schedule appointments? Easy. Call tracking numbers! By assigning each landing page with
a specific call tracking number, you know quickly and easily where your new booked appointments are coming from and if your PPC dollars are working.
10
PPC helps your SEO. For as long as there is online marketing, pay-perclick (PPC) advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) marketing will need each other. Why? Pay-per-click campaigns generate the data that a good SEO strategy will find invaluable, like which SEO keywords to choose. Plus, if you show up in both the PPC and organic listings, the more likely it is that a potential patient will view you as a top dentist in your area and choose you.
Pay-per-click advertising is just one component in a much larger blueprint to getting patients to choose you when they search for a dentist online. At Bullseye Media, we specialize in building a complete plan for dentists who want to leverage the internet to get high value dental patients; including Website Optimization, Reputation Management, Pay-Per-Click Online Advertising, Website Design, Dental Micro-sites and Social Media. If patients are searching for dentists in your area and finding your competition instead of you, give us a call. We can help. n Neil Rudoff is the Senior Account Executive at Bullseye Media in McKinney, TX. He received his BA from Tufts University in 1989 and his MBA from UT Austin in 1993, and has been an online marketing and web design consultant since 2003. He can be reached at (214) 491-6166 or neil@bullseyemediallc.com. BullseyeMedia, LLC is a McKinney, Texas based full-service digital marketing agency that specializes in helping dentist leverage the internet to grow their practices. Visit www.onlinedentalmarketing.com.
Protection is our Business Our only business is working with TDA Members and their staffs. We are committed exclusively to servicing TDA membership’s needs. www.tdamemberinsure.com 1-800-677-8644 Bob Michaels, CLU Local Associate 214-696-5103
Disability Life Health Long Term Care Malpractice
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
21
practice trends
Is Your Dental Office Ready for an Uptick in Business?
T
hese past few years have been very difficult for businesses, including those in the dental profession. As the economy slid, people lost jobs that included dental insurance benefits and money got tighter for everyone. Dental patients postponed routine visits for preventative care and delayed restorative treatments. According to a Nationwide Consumer Survey on Dental Health & Healthcare, among those who have not visited a dentist recently, 33% listed the lack of a dental plan as their primary reason for not doing so. There is hope, however, that things are
by Feridoon Amini
turning around for the economy and the dental profession.
Employment figures are beginning to increase and the Dow Jones Industrial Average is reaching historically high levels. As people begin returning to work, they will be sure to ask for dental insurance coverage as it is still the most popular employee benefit after medical coverage. They are also starting to catch up on some of the dental care they have been postponing. According to the Dental Economics/Levin Group 2012 Annual Practice Survey, two stagnant figures have finally begun to show some improvement – overall practice production
22 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
and fee collection rate. Anecdotal evidence from dentists we have talked to shows that they are seeing more patients coming back for routine dental care, as compared to even just six months ago. They also report that patients are going beyond routine dental care and starting to accept cosmetic or elective procedures such as veneers again.
The article, “Market Trends in Dentistry”, which was posted on the Dental Economics website by Jeffrey Lavers, quotes sociologist John Schaer as saying that “the dental care system will evolve more in the next twenty years than in the previous fifty. Failure to change with it will likely spell stagnation for
your practice.” He also cites an American Dental Trade Association (ADTA) study which found that the factors of demand, supply and economics will all converge soon to shape the industry’s future with a projected 87% increase between 2000 and 2025 in the number of people between the ages of 60 and 79, including retiring dentists. There is also the surprising conclusion that there may not be enough graduates coming out of the dental schools to replace the dentists who are retiring from the profession. In another trend, more than half of the current teenage population already has some decayed, missing or filled teeth. While the demand for dental services is projected to grow, it may be harder to hire dental professionals to help your practice meet these increased needs.
inars to educate patients about oral hygiene, dental implants, veneers and other dental care options. These seminars can be live or taped and posted on YouTube for all of your patients and prospective patients to watch. Take the time now to educate patients about their options and they’ll be more likely to come to your practice when their budget allows.
With these economic and demographic signs all pointing to an uptick in the need for dental services, the time to get your dental practice ready is now.
Fill those dental jobs now and you’ll beat your competition to the best available candidates. One great way to find potential candidates is through networking with other dental professionals. You can watch for dental professionals that seem up-and-coming and build relationships with them, then suggest they contact you the next time they are searching for a job in dentistry. You can ask for recommendations and referrals to give you more background on dental job seekers. Belonging to a national dental network will also give you access to a wider pool of potential applicants so you will be able to find the best candidate to fill your open dental jobs.
What you can do now to get your practice ready
Take full advantage of your marketing opportunities. Dental professionals should review their marketing plans to get them in line with the changing communication opportunities. While it previously worked to just place a few ads in a local print publication or a commercial on a local radio station, those marketing channels are no longer efficient.
Today’s dental practices take full advantage of everything the internet offers. Websites are packed with educational information, blogs talk about current trends in dentistry and Facebook pages invite patient interaction. Social media is going to become the preferred method of attracting patients in the very near future. Although there may be more opportunities for patients, you’re still going to have to drive them to your practice and build strong relationships along the way.
Assemble a great staff. Now is the time to start planning for the long-term staffing needs of your office. Begin to think about what type of dental jobs you will need to fill as your practice grows. You can’t properly focus on hiring and training more personnel when you’re busy running the practice, so do some of that preparation now. Project your patient load for the next few years and then determine how many associate dentist jobs, dental hygienist jobs, dental assistant jobs and dental office jobs you will need to fill.
If you take the time to start filling those open dental jobs now, you will have the ability to choose those who are best suited to your practice and get them trained on your office routine before business starts ramping up. With a plan solidly in hand, your office will be able to handle the influx of new and returning patients while your competition is desperately trying to fill their dental employment needs.
After years of negative news, good news is finally on the horizon. Make sure prospective patients know about the benefits of regular dental care, tell them about your practice, fill any open dental jobs in your office, and you’ll be ready for whatever new and returning business comes your way. n
Feridoon Amini, an IT architecture and design expert with over 20 years of experience, is changing the way dental professionals network, communicate and market.
DentalSpots.com is the premier website for filling dental jobs and ChooseYourDentist.com is the web portal where dentists and patients connect. His company is reducing the marketing and administrative burdens so dental professionals can concentrate on providing excellent patient service.
Educate current and future patients. Patient education will become increasingly important. More dentists are offering sem-
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
23
A history all its own‌
THE TEXAS MEETING MAY 2-5, 2013 Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center 200 E. Market Street - San Antonio, Texas San Antonio proudly wears its culture on its sleeve. Rich with modern museums and old world missions to walking tours and architectural wonders, this city exudes character, charm and cultural history inspiring the hearts of all who experience its brilliance.
24 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
What better place to celebrate the 143rd year of edu-
cation, networking, and camaraderie known as The
TEXAS Meeting. This annual event continues to grow
and provides new and innovative ways to inspire our
members and attendees. OUR MISSION… Educate, Innovate, Inspire.
Mission San José One of the most memorable missions is “The Alamo,” the name alone gives a sense of respect, legend, loyalty, and honor. The TEXAS Meeting provides attendees with a few well-known names of their own… Burgess, Cranham, Goldstein, Hooper, Hornbrook, Kugel, Malamed, Nager, Salama, and so many more that are best known for their expertise in the fields of dentistry.
Giving the best customer service to patients is what each dental practice endeavors to do, and there is one name that stands above the rest when it comes to excellent service – NORDSTROM. New this year, The TEXAS Meeting gives you “Becoming the Nordstrom of Your Industry”, presented by Robert Spector, author of “The Nordstrom Way.”
NEWS
& notes
Just like the famous San Antonio Riverwalk, with every twist and turn you will find something new and exciting in The TEXAS Meeting exhibit hall. Exhibitors eagerly await you with enticing show specials and new products and services. More than 350 companies are there to meet all of your practice needs.
Once again, the largest dental meeting in TEXAS provides a history all its own! We look forward to sharing old and new traditions with you May, 2-5, 2013, as we rally in support of OUR MISSION… Educate, Innovate, Inspire.
For more information about the 2013 TEXAS Meeting, please visit texasmeeting.com.
Welcome and Bienvenidos!
Victor Rodriguez, DDS Chair, 2013 Texas Meeting
Dedicated to highlighting
current news & events
in our North Texas dental community Submit your NEWS to North Texas Dentistry: info@northtexasdentistry.com www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
25
wine cellar
by Kim Clarke
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Ménage à Trois in the Kitchen Sink? Avalon is a Toyota, isn’t it? And Middle Sister is not a Bitch. Mommy needs Time Out because of the Fat Bastard. Monkey Bay, Yellow Tail, Black Swan, Leaping Lizard, Smoking Loon, Coyote Creek. Naked and Barefoot? And the wine industry is snobby and highbrowed?
Interestingly enough, a lot of these wines are big sellers and most come from reputable wineries that have won numerous awards for their flagship wines. While serious wine drinkers may not particularly like the proliferation of these playful names, the practice must be working as more names show up on the shelves every week. It’s also, apparently, here to stay. In 2005, Information Resources, Inc., a leading provider of consumer behavior insights to the consumer pack-
aged goods, retail and beverage alcohol industries, put out a study that listed the top 25 most influential table wine brands (the numbers come from grocery store and drugstore sales (no liquor stores), but keep in mind that the selection in those venues is pretty broad). Number 1 on the list was Yellow Tail, an Australian brand established in 2000 primarily designed for export. With sales of 112,000 cases in 2001, it quickly grew to 7.5 million cases in 2005, helped in America by distribution through Costco (one of the largest sellers of wine in the United States). Mirassou, a Gallo brand, was number two on the list, followed by Barefoot, a brand developed in 1986 and sold to Gallo in 2005. Other catchy names making the list were Smoking Loon (#5), Leaping Horse (#9) and Black Swan (#19). Commenting about
26 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
the results, IRI said “The wine market is incredibly dynamic and today’s winemakers are taking product development, marketing and retail execution to the edge of the envelope”.
The 2006 results of the same IRI study showed the trend continuing, but some different names began to make the list. Former #1 name Yellow Tail fell to #23, with former #3 Barefoot taking advantage of Gallo’s marketing strength to move up to the top spot. Smoking Loon stayed in the top 10 at #7 while Little Penguin premiered at #11 and Fish Eye at #14. As part of the study, IRI put forth a list of the Top 10 New Brands for 2006, calling them “key brands to watch in the year ahead”. In numerical order, they were Trove, Cycles Gladiator, Little Black Dress, Bohemian Highway, Marq, Red
Guitar, Lost Vineyards, Mattie’s Perch, Rubeus of Lore and French Rabbit. One wonders if the same people that come up with the names for paint colors also did some work for these wineries.
The consistent sales growth of these trendy-named brands did not go unnoticed, and bigger, richer wineries joined the fray, focusing on the development and marketing of wines that have broad public appeal. Folie a Deux’s blend, Ménage à Trois, began its rise through the ranks with the marketing help of Trinchero Family Estate, who purchased Folie à Deux in 2004. The Trinchero Family purchased the Sutter Home Winery in 1947 and is probably most famous (or infamous, depending on your perspective) for their “invention” of White Zinfandel, a serendipitous result of a “stuck” fermentation of a vat of Red Zinfandel. Production of their White Zinfandel reached 2.7 million cases in 1987 and provided the family with plenty of capital to use in expanding their production facilities and grape-growing acreage from the 1990’s through the present.
list was dominated by brands from Gallo, Diageo, Constellation, Fosters and Wine Group, but the funny names were less evident, with only Fish Eye, Dancing Bull and Gnarly Head making the list. One interesting thing about the 2009 study is that Yellow Tail, the #1 wine in 2005, didn’t even make the list and there was only one import on the list, Frontera from Concha y Toro (Chile), versus seven
imported brands on the 2005 list.
To serious wine drinkers, most of these wines come across as marketing gimmicks that are less focused on what’s in the bottle and more driven toward generating sales. The wine, however, is usually pretty good and works well for a broader group of wine drinkers that are looking for an easy, everyday quaff. n
Smoking Loon is another wine that’s been omnipresent on the IRI list. It is produced and created by Don Sebastiani & Sons, a family-owned wine negociant firm whose principals are third and fourth generation California vintners and wine merchants. During their ownership of Sebastiani Vineyards and Winery, they produced over 8 million cases of wine under a portfolio of value brands while continuing to make wines for the Sebastiani label. They sold the winery to Constellation Brands in 2001 and now produce a range of wines marketed under various labels, including Smoking Loon and Pepperwood Grove.
The 2009 IRI study of the hottest brands in the wine business confirmed the entry of big wineries with lots of money and expertise into this segment of the market. Ménage à Trois came in at #1, followed by Gallo’s Barefoot and Constellation Brand’s Rex Goliath. The
www.jhouserconstruction.com
817.988.7842 “We specialize in customer satisfaction..” jhouser@jhouserconstruction.com PO Box 325
Canton, TX 75103
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
27
technology update
N
The Best Gift Ever Dentists are offering patients a chance to preserve the precious stem cells of their child
early everyone has heard of the potential of stem cells to treat a wide range of serious diseases. Yet few people realize that a rich source of these cells is teeth — primary teeth that come loose during childhood, wisdom teeth extracted from teens or young adults, and teeth that need to be pulled to make room for braces. Highly potent stem cells exist in the dental pulp of healthy teeth and can be preserved for their potential to protect a family’s health as technology evolves.
Stem cells in dental pulp were discovered in 2000 by Dr. Songtao Shi, a dental researcher at the National Institute of Health (NIH). After verification that these cells were in fact viable stem cells, the NIH announced the discovery in 2003. Since then, this new source of stem cells has gained significant focus within the research community.
Today, procedures using stem cells from bone marrow or cord blood are commonly used for blood disorders, cancers and leukemia. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) from bone marrow are currently being used in procedures such as transplantations. The newly discovered MSC from dental pulp are not yet being used for medical treatments. Dental stem cells are being researched for a wide range of potential regenerative applica-
28 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
tions, and have successfully been used to regrow jawbone and treat periodontal disease in human studies.
Most people were introduced to the concept of banking a child’s stem cells when cord blood banking arrived on the scene. However, there is a very narrow window of opportunity for collecting and banking stem cells from umbilical cord blood. Parents may miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with all the competing demands on their attention and finances at this critical time.
Store-A-Tooth™ enables families to save stem cells from their children’s teeth with the help of their dentist or oral surgeon, in order to take advantage of future stem cell therapies for conditions such as type 1 diabetes, stroke, heart attack, muscular dystrophy, Parkinson’s and spinal cord injury. Patients can store wisdom teeth, baby teeth, and teeth pulled for orthodontia or any other reason – as long as there’s healthy dental pulp. Teeth are a plentiful and convenient source of stem cells. And unlike human embryonic stem cells, dental stem cells pose no ethical issues as a means of storing a patient’s own cells for future autologous use.
Dental professionals play an important role in spreading awareness about this option, to give patients the choice to bank their own stem cells from teeth that would otherwise be discarded during routine dental care. Dentists are now differentiating their practices by taking a position at the forefront of technology and bringing stem cell innovation to their communities. By partnering with Store-A-Tooth , a dentist can offer the highest quality dental stem cell preservation to patients. TM
For dentists interested in offering the service, Store-A-Tooth makes it easy for patients and their dentists to collect teeth removed during normal dental procedures. A Store-A-Tooth representative will visit the practice and help train the treatment coordinator, who can then help explain the Store-A-Tooth program and process to the rest of the team. Successfully integrating the program depends on making sure the entire staff is informed and enthusiastic about the benefits to the patient.
According to pediatric dentist Dr. Pamela Singletary of Austin, Texas, who is a provider for the Store-A-Tooth dental stem cell program, “This service enables parents to save the stem cells from their children’s teeth as an investment in their family’s health. There is no greater gift to give your child than added protection toward their future. Our goal is to bring the highest level of quality to everything we do – this service fits right into that commitment to excellence. We’re pleased to offer this minimally invasive, more affordable and convenient option for saving a child’s stem cells, and our patients are very appreciative.”
The process is simple. The family makes an appointment with the participating dentist to extract the teeth – for example, primary teeth which would be falling out naturally, teeth that need to be extracted for braces, or wisdom teeth which are scheduled to be extracted. The dentist places the teeth in a special StoreA-Tooth transport kit to protect them during overnight transport to the lab. There, the sample is tested for viability and processed for long-term cryopreservation, and a lab report is sent for confirmation to the family that the stem cells have been safely processed and stored. Provia’s laboratory is FDA-registered and can confirm the presence of mesenchymal stem cell biomarkers using flow cytometry.
Research, while early, is increasingly showing promise that dental stem cells may someday play a role in treatments for such serious conditions as Type I Diabetes, stroke, cardiovascular disease, spinal cord injuries, and neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. As awareness of dental stem cells grows, the opportunity to bank teeth is piquing the interest of parents who seek an additional layer of promise against disease for their child.
Banking stem cells is commonly done with bone marrow and umbilical cord blood and is a well established technology. But now, with the discovery of dental stem cells, parents can bank their child’s baby or wisdom teeth – an easy, affordable and convenient option to save their family’s stem cells.
As the potential of stem cells becomes more apparent, we expect that many families will want to bank their children’s teeth. It’s important to choose a quality provider of dental stem cell banking services, so families can be assured that their samples will be in the optimal condition when future therapies become available. For dentists who wish to offer patients a unique, valuable service, dental stem cell banking is an unmistakable opportunity to reinforce a positive perception of the practice – and establishes the dentist as a leader and innovator who genuinely cares about patients’ overall health.
For more information on becoming a provider for dental stem cell banking, please visit www.store-a-tooth.com or call (877) 867-5753. n Provia Laboratories, LLC (www.provialabs.com) is a health services company specializing in high quality biobanking (reservation of biological specimens). The company’s Store-A-ToothTM service platform enables the collection, transport, processing, and storage of dental stem cells for potential use in future stem cell therapies. The company advises industrial, academic, and governmental clients on matters related to the preservation of biological specimens for research and clinical use. In addition, Provia offers a variety of products for use in complex biobanking environments to improve sample logistics, security, and quality. Provia Labs is a member of ISBER, the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories.
www.northtexasdentistry.com
|
NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY
29
product news
NEW PRODUCT ALERT
Orascoptic Launches the New XV1 Middleton, WI – Orascoptic is proud to announce the launch of XV1 – the world’s first wireless loupe and headlight in one.
At Orascoptic, our vision is that every healthcare procedure in the world will be performed with Superior Visualization, under the best ergonomic conditions for the clinician, in order to drive the best patient outcomes. We strive to fulfill this vision through the innovative products that we bring to clinicians. The inspiration behind all Orascoptic products is to challenge the status quo – to elevate dentistry. The latest example of this is XV1.
XV1 is the world’s first wireless loupe and headlight in one, providing superior visualization through superior magnification and superior illumination. This brand new innovation seamlessly combines Orascoptic’s award-winning loupes with our award-winning headlight, and allows dental professionals to deliver superior
procedural outcomes with greater ease, and less strain on their bodies. Featuring a lightweight and completely cable-less design, and by removing the heavy and bulky beltpacks of past headlights, XV1 was ergonomically designed for comfort, function and style.
All electronics are completely contained within the custom-built frame itself, so there are no visible wires or cables. Rechargeable batteries power XV1 for a full day’s work, delivering up to 4,000 footcandles of light. XV1 features Capacitive Touch controls on both temple arms to eliminate the need for knobs or buttons that can be bacteria traps. The lightweight counter-balance design enables clinicians to practice in comfort all day long, delivering superior patient care. Be the first to see the Brand New XV1 – www.orascoptic.com/XV1
SOURCE: ORASCOPTIC
30 NORTH TEXAS DENTISTRY | www.northtexasdentistry.com
ADVERTISER’S INDEX
AFTCO ................. Inside Front Cover Bob Michaels, CLU .........................21 Bryant Studios .................................11 Bullseye Media...... Inside Back Cover Burkhart Dental ......Inside Back Cover Destiny Dental Laboratory...............23 Jameson Management.................. 15 J. Houser Construction................... 27 Med-Tech Construction.... Back Cover Midco Dental .................................. 30 Structures and Interiors.................. 21 Tina Cauller .................................... 27 UT School of Dentistry at Houston . 25
Want
?
Choose Burkhart has represented A-dec for over 45 years. We offer the full A-dec line of products and parts along with A-dec certified Service Technicians.
Choose Integrity.
469.242.4000
www.burkhartdental.com R 03/13 WA
MED-TECH CONSTRUCTION
INSPIRING DREAMS
FINISH-OUT REMODEL GROUND-UP
>ŽŽŬŝŶŐ ƚŽ ƌĞůŽĐĂƚĞ͕ ƌĞŵŽĚĞů Žƌ ŶĞĞĚ Ă ŶĞǁ ŽĸĐĞ͍ DĞĚͲdĞĐŚ ŽŶƐƚƌƵĐƟŽŶ ŚĂƐ ŽǀĞƌ ϭ͕ϱϬϬ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞĚ ƉƌŽũĞĐƚƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǁŝůů ŝŶƐƉŝƌĞ͘
dŽůů &ƌĞĞ͗ ϴϬϬͲϳϰϱͲϴϬϳϮ TEXAS | ALABAMA | GEORGIA | FLORIDA | LOUISIANA | OKLAHOMA | TENNESSEE | WASHINGTON