Dawson Quicknotes

Why Your Practice Needs Internet Marketing

By Brian Burns I President of AdsNext Internet Promotion Solutions

The Internet is no longer the future, the Internet is today.  If your practice isn’t online, you are missing thousands of potential patients.  According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, a majority (61%) of American adults go online for health information.¹  Some 17 million people reported that they have specifically searched for dental health topics.²  They are looking for information from a source they can trust.  You want to be that source. 

With millions of websites on the Internet, it is important that you not only have a website, but you market it effectively so that it attracts visitors and turns them into valuable leads for your practice.

“Dentistry, especially complex restorative dentistry, has changed more in the past 5 years than in the last 50 years! The digital technologies available today have impacted diagnosis, treatment, interoffice communications and marketing,” states Joan Forrest, President and CEO of The Dawson Academy. “The internet has become the primary source of dental/medical information for patients.”

Internet marketing can be a challenge, but it doesn’t have to be difficult.  Most dentists want to get online or improve on their existing efforts but find themselves wondering where to start.  Brian Burns, CEO of Ads Next, the official internet marketing partner of the Dawson Academy, breaks down the key components of Internet marketing:

Professionally Created, Personalized Website
Ten seconds.  That's how long it takes a visitor on your website to decide if they want to stay and look some more or leave.  Online success is built on the foundation of a strong website.  Yours should be a reflection of your practice, consistent with the logos, colors, messages and style of your brick and mortar establishment.  It is critical that your website be visually engaging with professional photography of your own patients or with stock photos that represent patients typical of your practice.  Before and after galleries are also very effective and offer online visitors a chance to see your work before an office visit and have content that is relevant and to the point.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Most people find information through search engine queries.  SEO is the process of improving the volume or quality of traffic to a website from search engines via natural or un-paid search results.  There are two types of SEO, on-site and off-site. Onsite SEO includes creating unique keyword tags for each page of your website, placing Geo-specific and service specific links in the footer of your website and enhancing content to make it rich with keywords specific to your location and services.  Offsite SEO focuses on creating business profiles, submitting to local directories and search engines, and link building, just to name a few.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC)
A small but important part to any Internet marketing strategy, PPC drives immediate traffic to your website.  Typically targeting both Geo-specific and broad key terms, PPC can help generate leads quickly and effectively.  You only pay when someone clicks on your ad, helping you keep your money where its most effective.

Social Media
You’ve heard of Facebook and Twitter?  People connect and share information with one another like never before.  Your practice can do the same with patients and potential patients.  Imagine being able to send patient appointment reminders, answer questions, post practice news and events, and let people know about important dental health topics.  Choose an Internet marketing company who can help you learn how to uses Social Media to your advantage.  While it does require a commitment of time and effort, the results can be very valuable to your practice.

Lead Tracking
Once you have visitors on your website, you want to convert them into leads for your practice.  Website forms and tracked phone numbers are just a couple ways to capture valuable information from potential patients.  With this information you can gain valuable insight and evaluate your return on investment.  Look for an Internet marketing agency who can show you these results in one, easy to use place.

Now Is the Time
We all want to attract new patients.  With Internet marketing, you have an opportunity to reach out to people in your area looking for your services and expertise.  Getting started can be intimidating, but with the right guidance and customized marketing strategy, you’ll be glad did.

About Ads Next™
Ads Next™, provider of Dental Websites and search engine marketing solutions, combines leading internet marketing techniques with proprietary lead generation and tracking software. This unique, comprehensive solution is focused on organic search engine optimization and social media marketing. At the core of our marketing solutions are custom and semi-custom websites designed to provide a window into the modern dental practice. These websites are built to rank well in the search engines and generate more leads. For more information about dental websites, internet marketing and lead generation solutions please contact Bill Mulcahy of Ads Next™ by calling 410 - 960 - 5217 or visiting www.AdsNext.com 

Sources:
1 Susanna Fox, Sidney Jones “The Social Life of Health Information” (Pew Internet Project: July 11, 2009)
2 Susanna Fox “Online Health Search” (Pew Internet Project: October 26, 2006)

The Importance of Interdisciplinary Care

by John C. Cranham DDS

In a recent conversation with Dr. Dawson we stumbled upon a discussion of the various reasons that Dentistry fails. We quickly agreed that while poor clinical technique certainly accounts for some of the failures, the vast majority of cases that fall short of optimum care develop their problems during treatment planning. This can occur by visualizing improperly the end result, choosing the wrong option, or choosing a sequence that just didn’t work. Quite simply, “failing to plan, is planning to fail.”

This is why our core curriculum spends so much time on the gathering of optimum records and learning a programmed approach to treatment planning. Committing to a comprehensive examination process and learning the discipline of optimum treatment planning is the cornerstone of The Dawson Philosophy. When our students jump over this hurdle, we see the quality of their Dentistry and the quality of their lives dramatically improve

One of the interesting aspects of owning a practice that adheres to these principles is that as the business grows, so does the complexity of the cases that you attract. I am continually amazed at the kinds of cases that continue to find their way to our front door. They are all looking for the same thing: a solution to their problem.  While the process of gathering the records, and treatment planning the case does not change, the actual treatment plan does change, which presents the need for increased creativity.

 
Dr. Dawson has preached the four options of treatment as the center of our treatment planning philosophy: Reshaping, Repositioning, Restoring and/or Repositioning Bone (Orthognathic). The goal is always to find the best way to do the least amount of Dentistry while solving the esthetic, functional, biologic and structural problems of the patient. While this is logical, what has astounded me over the last several years is how little I knew about many of the options that involved the dental specialists. This lack of knowledge is a huge problem because if the restorative dentist does not know all of the possibilities for the patient, then the treatment can and will fall short. This leads to the restorative dentist trying to solve a tooth position problem, a gingival position problem or an arch position problem with restorative dentistry alone. As I reflect on cases that have fallen short within my own career, this has generally been the case; I was simply unaware of how working with a specialist could have made the outcome of the case better.

My greatest professional joy over the last several years has been doing cases with Albert Konikoff (my Periodontist), Carl Roy (my Orthodontist), and Mike Maugeri (my Oral Surgeon). As our relationship has evolved we have become increasingly aware of the need to meet regularly. We currently meet for 2 hours after work once a month. This meeting allows us to discuss cases that are in various stages of treatment, treatment plan cases utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, and update each other on the latest advances in our area of expertise. The main purpose of our meetings is for us to have time for us to strengthen our personal and professional relationships and learn to think together as one team.

What is amazing is that the general dentists and the various specialties in Dentistry all have different goals. As the Restorative/General Dentist it is our job to know how ALL of these Dentists think. We need to know the specifics of all the procedures each of these specialists provide. As well as how to coordinate complex treatment plans involving multiple Dentists.

The purpose of our upcoming Interdisciplinary Treatment Planning course is to provide a retreat for Dawson students, to bring their specialists, and to immerse themselves into this process. The goal is to provide each team with the necessary information and framework for successful coordinated treatment planning. It is specifically designed for those of our students who have successfully implemented the Dawson principles and are currently attracting the kinds of cases that will require the assistance of like-minded specialist. This is a class Dr. Dawson is personally proud to have as our latest addition to our curriculum. We hope you will consider bringing your team and joining us for 3 great days in Virginia.

Increasing the Predictability of Anterior Restorations

by Leonard A. Hess, DDS • Associate Faculty Member • The Dawson Academy

Every clinician is on a constant journey.  We all must continuously learn and hone our craft. Every year thousands of dentists trust the Dawson Academy to help them on their path.  One topic that interests many restorative dentists is anterior indirect restorations, and how to do them better. 

Improving a smile is one of the fastest ways to make a person happy, as their life is often changed for the better.  But a pretty smile must also function properly. Changing the anterior teeth with disregard to function can lead to broken restorations, uncomfortable speech, and muscular disharmony.  Here are a few commonly overlooked ingredients to “cooking up” a beautiful and functional smile.

Incisal Edge Position: The incisal edges must be placed in the proper position vertically and horizontally.  The teeth must be long enough esthetically, but must also work with the patients anterior guidance and envelope of function.

Photographs: The Dawson Academy consistently teaches the necessity of a complete set of diagnostic photographs. Photos are needed for treatment planning, patient education, lab communication, and documentation. Their importance cannot be overstated. 

Preparation Design:  One often neglected step in case planning is the creation of reduction stents.  The lab must have adequate reduction for esthetics and material requirements. Remember, if the lab needs 0.6mm of reduction and you only gave them 0.4mm that is a 33% error!

Laboratory Communication:  Predictability comes from giving the proper information to the lab. It isn’t their job to decide all the variables involved in anterior reconstruction. And the lab certainly shouldn’t be put into the position of guessing length and incisal edge position.   

Predictable results come from a consistent approach. As a practicing clinician I always find myself reviewing the Dawson Academy fundamentals that help me succeed.  

The hygienist is a KEY team member in educating patients.

by Joanne Schultz RDH

We were in the clinic on the second day of our Hygiene course and one 
of the hygienists said to me, "You are to me like Dr. Dawson is to the doctors!" Besides being one of the best compliments I have ever received, it also underlines a real need in every practice. The need for team members to understand occlusion as much as the doctors do.

Dr. Dawson would be quick to point out that it is imperative that a hygienist be able to recognize the causes of occlusal disease and realize a need for treatment (I know because I was a hygienist for Dr. Dawson). A hygienist is a dentist's best referral source once they are trained to know what to look for. The result of training is a knowledgeable hygienist able to answer patients' questions, affirm their decisions to proceed with required treatment, and to recognize the signs and symptoms of occlusal disease.

The more the hygienist understands about the harmony between teeth, muscles and joints the more integral they will be in creating and maintaining a "Complete Care" dental practice.  A team member's 
understanding that every component of the masticatory system from the anterior teeth, the posterior teeth, muscles, and temporomandibular joints are of equal importance and must function together is crucial to the success of a practice.

Our dental hygiene ce programs at The Dawson Academy are designed with the goal to educate the hygienist in understanding what complete dentistry encompasses and emphasize their important role throughout the process. The programs also educate the hygienist on how to provide all patients with Complete Dentistry and keep their patients' natural teeth for a lifetime, free from all oral diseases.

The Hygienists Role in Complete Care Dentistry was developed to help the dentist by giving their valuable team members the knowledge and clinical skills necessary in providing excellent patient care. It is 
our hope that you will make the effort to enable your team to expand their knowledge, and in turn, improve your practice.

Powerful Communication with Digital Photography

By Stephen Miller, DDS
Assistant Faculty Member of The Dawson Academy

During The Dawson Academy’s Treatment Planning Functional Esthetic Excellence Course, we teach students to integrate the information and records gathered during the New Patient Exam. I have noticed that a recurring issue for doctors is how to effectively bridge the gap between their records and the patient’s wants, needs, objections, and confronting problems.

The answer lies in Digital Photography. This a fantastic tool can be used to address the frustrations of patient communication and ownership of the patient’s dental issues.  Our society has developed into a society of visual learners, where a picture is worth a 1000 words. Doctors can use these pictures to create a frame of reference of their patient’s overall dental health. In conjunction with asking patients open-ended questions, digital photography is a great communication tool for both new and existing patients.

In my office, the clinical staff takes 4 screening photographs: full face, smile, upper and lower occlusal. These four photos are quickly printed on high quality photo paper. The patients are given the photos and are asked,” Tell me what you see?” Then we shut-up and listen to the patient. This process ranks as one of the most important parts of the new patient process.

This exchange helps define the patient’s impression of their dentition, and gets them to talk about their own dental needs, which guides us to our next step. If the patient is ready and shows signs of instability, then we have them return for a set of full photographic records, which is laid out in The Dawson Academy Photographic Series.
   
From these photographs we can then review every aspect of the mouth on a flat screen monitor.
This is invaluable for:

• Diagnosis – allows the dentist a different perspective
• Communication
• Understanding and documentation of issues and conditions
• Leading to more patient ownership and shared responsibility

The next time we meet with the patient, we have a portfolio of before and after photographs highlighting the answers to the problems we are facing, and allowing possibility thinking and visualization of the end result.  The aspect of digital photography is really one of our best tools for communication in dentistry.  Now while I love my neatly mounted study models, those are best used for understanding, and not for the generating patient excitement.

Getting started is easy. I recommend a pre-programmed quality digital camera for dentistry, a quality HP Photosmart Inkjet printer and a Dawson Photographic Training DVD. This entire investment can be made for under $2500, but the results will more than pay for themselves in no time. With these tools in your practice, your team will be taking great photos and bridging the treatment communication gap with your patients.

Creating the foundation for Complete Dentistry in your practice

by Laura Wittenauer DDS

I hear many dentists ask, “Where do I start and how do I get my team members to buy into the process?” In my experience as an Assistant Faculty member at the Comprehensive Exam and Records course, here’s what I have found to be five important concepts to help answer this question.

Concept One. DIAGNOSTIC PHOTOS
I am amazed at the grateful look on dentists faces when we review the Dawson Academy Photography Series, which covers the step-by-step process of digital photography for creating diagnostic patient records.  Hand in hand with this is the proficiency in the use of mirrors, retractors and patient positioning because it allows you to achieve excellence in your diagnostic photos. The best part of this process of digital photography is empowering your assistants to become involved in taking the photos themselves.

Concept 2. TMJ AND OCCLUSAL EXAMINATION
We say it all the time, and it should be our tagline, but because it isn’t I’ll repeat it...Complete Dentistry begins with a Complete Exam! The cornerstone of all patient diagnosis is performing TMJ and occlusal examinations.  I have noticed that hands-on exercises in muscle palpation, recording of range of motion, joint evaluation, bimanual manipulation, load testing, and joint vibration analysis are invaluable when it comes to examining your patients. The hands-on exercises covered in class point out the value of this information gathered and how it can positively affect your treatment plan. One of the most common pieces of feedback we hear from dentists attending our course is that ‘they never knew what bimanual manipulation really felt like until they performed it under the supervision of someone who practices it’. Then the clouds parted, and the seas calmed....

Concept 3. IMPRESSIONS
Although all dentists know how to take impressions, not all dentists know the best materials and techniques to use.  It is essential to review what the best materials and techniques are to obtain highly accurate impressions.  Good impressions are no accident, they are perfected with practice. Make sure your staff understand the ‘hows’ and ‘whys’ of your apparent obsessive compulsive behaviors when it comes to making impressions. A bad impression can be a huge misstep on the road to treatment, and one that will cost you!

Concept 4. FACEBOW TRANSFER AND CR BITE RECORD
As Dr. Dawson has always said, “Practicing in centric relation is the key to practicing Complete Dentistry”.  It is essential for you to be proficient in bimanual manipulation, and your staff must have the facebow transfer and centric relation bite record processes down cold. Once again, any misstep in this process will greatly affect your treatment planning and diagnosis. Remember the old adage ‘garbage in is garbage out’.

Concept 5. MOUNTING DIAGNOSTIC CASTS
Mounting your casts is where the ‘rubber hits the road’ with all your records and examinations. Through all the previous steps, the dentist is able to obtain highly accurate, beautiful diagnostic casts.  These diagnostic casts, when used with the patient’s clinical evaluation, full series of radiographs, and the Dawson Academy Photography Series are what allow you to develop the best possible treatment plan.  Ask yourself this question: if your casts aren’t great, how great is your treatment going be? Or more importantly, what is your tolerance level for frustration and costly redos, because you will be testing the limits.

Convert your staff into your team
There is no ‘i’ in team because you can’t do it alone! When students leave and return to their practices, training their staff with these skills will make a true team. Everyone has a role, and all the parts require a contribution from every player. Complete Dentistry is all about having a Complete Team, and nobody ever won the big game by playing every position. Your practice is no different!
 
Where do you begin?

The Comprehensive Examination and Records course teaches the foundation for developing the concepts and skills listed above, and ‘The Hygienists Role in Complete Care Dentistry’ will summarize treatment planning concepts, and show your team members how to assist you in every aspect of your patient diagnosis.

“Do it Right”

by Drew Cobb, DDS

My Dad always used to say, “If you are going to do something, do it right”. I think many of us came to The Dawson Academy like I did to “do it right”. We started by taking the core curriculum lecture and hands-on courses and followed those with more topic specific courses. We proceeded along our journey to provide our patients with the best possible long lasting dental care, but getting to that point is not always as easy as we’d like. Unfortunately, it is easy to get sidetracked along the way and loose sight of the end result. It is not that we don’t want to do things the right way, it can just become difficult and confusing. It is not enough to just take courses, the key to success is putting into practice what we have learned. If not, nothing will change.

Four basic core principles to “doing it right”

If we follow these core principles, I know we will achieve the results we envision and become successful. These principles are nothing new and are the foundation of the core curriculum. The important part is that we actually have to put them into practice. I know from my own experience that success came when I started implementing what I learned. Change can be hard, but if you truly want to get to the next level it won’t happen by itself.

Here are what I believe to be the four key core principles we have to be committed to in order to reach that next level:

1. All patients get a thorough comprehensive examination with all necessary records.
2. We follow the 16-step functional/esthetic checklist when working through
   our treatment planning options.
3. We visualize the treatment plan and plan for success through the 10 step wax-up process.
4. We then provide the proper treatment to our patients to ensure functional and esthetic success.

If any of these concepts are not perfectly clear, maybe it is time to take a refresher course for clarification. In the near future we will have online presentations on these topics to make review easier. Try it on your next new patient and put into practice what you have learned. The reward will be in the end result for our patients.  I truly believe that if we are committed to the above principles, we will, as my Dad said, “Do it right”. Good luck!

Click here to download a copy of the 16 Keys to Functional Esthetics Form

Dr. Freano’s Stimulus Package

With a down economy everyone is feeling the effects, including my practice. And while not losing patients, some people weren’t able to come in as regularly, leaving room for more patients. We thought about advertising, but that would be paying strangers to send us strangers and our thought was that we would rather have friends and family of the patients we already were familiar with.

So we started with our own patients and thought about giving them something to show our appreciation for their years of loyalty. In selecting the gift, we chose something we knew they would like to have, but probably wouldn't 'splurge on'. With that criteria in mind, I chose to give each patient their own home bleaching kit, rather than giving them away to encourage new patients (in my experience, freebies tend to bring in nothing but new 'bargain hunters'). In return, we gave out several business cards with each bleaching kit and asked our loyal patients to “stimulate us” by referring their friends and family.

We shared the whole story during every visit to put it in our patients’ minds so they might remember it and talk about us more.  We also explained to them that we couldn’t ‘wax a dirty car.’  We had to do an exam and cleaning (at our regular fees). Plus, any decay or defective restoration would be very sensitive so it had to be restored first.

I hired a patient who has an art degree and experience in working with plaster to come in and learn how to make bleaching trays.  We bought the bleach in bulk from Henry Schein and estimated the total cost including labor to be less than 35 dollars per unit.

Because our patients had to come back in for an impression, we spent more time (which we had) with our loyal clients and they had something to brag about to their friends and family when their teeth got whiter. As a result of our ‘stimulus package’, our numbers are back to normal levels after being down by 23%. The best part is that our stimulus package brought in a host of new patients who were in need of all kinds of restorative work that we were able to address.

Even with the down economy, I am still independent of insurance, doing complete exams and charging a fair fee for the services I provide. I am proud to say that my practice and our ‘stimulus package’ are doing wonders in the area of providing complete care dentistry for our patients. The results are speaking for themselves.

Measuring Success. Choosing a Life of Personal and Professional Balance

Measuring Success. A tale of two practices.

One of the more common errors that dentists make, which can have serious consequences in the long run, is believing that success is determined by the amount of money they make. In reality, financial security is certainly nice; however, it isn't the only yardstick for measuring success. In fact, one of the principal tenets of complete dentistry states that, in order to attain true success, dentists must maintain a proportionate balance between their personal and professional lives.

The following story by Dr. Dawson from The Dawson Academy's updated seminar, Predictable Dentistry-Predictable Success: Putting Your Practice in the Top Ten Percent, will provide you with a tale of two practices: one whose dentist is overwhelmed with a constantly growing roster of new patients—but no personal life—and another practice whose dentist is afforded the luxury of a life-work balance. Which practice is yours most like?

Download Measuring Success

To Play this Podcast:

The best way to play this podcast is using iTunes. If you are a pc user, that is not a problem, iTunes can be used on both the mac and pc. All you have to do is download iTunes for free and install it. If you already have iTunes, skip to step 3.

Step 1: Download iTunes for Your PC
Browse to http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/ to download iTunes. Review the system requirements. Give them your e-mail address. Click the Download iTunes - Free button.

Step 2: Install iTunes
Find the iTunes Setup icon on your desktop and double-click to start the installation process. Follow all the steps.

Step 3: Open iTunes

Find the iTunes icon on your desktop or look for iTunes in your startup menu.

iTunes will open to a blank Library window. Along the top of the iTunes window, choose FILE > Add File to Library (Control + O). Find the podcast file you downloaded (Dentistry in todays economy.m4a) and select it. Press play to listen. 

Step 4: To select a specific chapter

This podcast is enhanced, which means there are links and chapters in it. To select a specific chapter, in the iTunes menu at the top, select the drop down menu CHAPTERS.

 

Creating a Vision for Your Practice

If you don't know where you're going,
how will you know when you get there?

As our country’s leaders have told us repeatedly, we are in uncharted territory.  Now, more than ever, it is essential to have a clear vision of who you are, where you’re going and how you want to get there. A focused vision, understood and shared by the entire team, will be your compass in these turbulent seas.

Times are tough.  It’s difficult to find anyone in our country who hasn’t been touched by the current economic condition.  Perhaps it is a family member, perhaps a neighbor, perhaps a patient, or perhaps you.  Have your retirement investments lost value?  Is your practice production down?  Are patients holding off on making treatment decisions because of the uncertainty portrayed daily in every newspaper, magazine and evening news report?

The following podcast is an excerpt from our Top Ten course where I talk about how to create a vision for your practice. To listen, simply click on the link below. To download, right click and select 'SAVE AS' to save this audio clip to your hard drive. You can play it in iTunes.

Download Practice Vision

 

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Creating a vision is just one of the many topics covered in our 2 day,
power packed lecture this year in Orlando:

Predictable Dentistry, Predictable Success - Putting Your Practice in the Top 10%

Give yourself – and your team – a needed shot in the arm.  Get the specific, practical, how-to’s used by thousands of dentists to achieve joy, fulfillment and financial success, in any economy.

We look forward to seeing you in Orlando!

-Joan Forrest