What My Journey In Dentistry Has Taught Me About Dentists

I started my career in the dental industry by introducing practice-automation systems to dental practices. This was back in the mid-'80s, when chairside workstations were considered quite revolutionary. But I could see the potential for unclogging the front desk, streamlining operations and improving patient retention. So could our clients. The more systems we integrated into more practices, the more I saw that dentists were hungry for answers on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of themselves and their teams. That's when I realized that computers were just one tool for solving just some of the issues in the average practice. If I was going to really help dentists, I had to go deeper.

So I sold the automation company and began a consulting services firm where we helped clients develop day-to-day strategies by focusing on patient and team behaviors. We had great success – our clients enjoyed more efficient practices and in most cases their production grew significantly. But it soon became obvious that many of those clients were just spending the income from their new growth. They had upgraded to a more expensive economic hamster wheel. At this point I realized that if I were going to help dentists further, I had to help them have not just a great practice but a great life in dentistry.

So my next focus became about helping clients develop a comprehensive strategy centered on an economic plan that put their lives in context and gave them peace of mind – now and in the future.

At that point, I understood what it took to run an efficient and effective quality practice; I understood how to create an economic life plan that really helped clients feel secure and liberated; I knew how to guide them through all the major transitions – associateships, partnerships, exit strategies, and so on. I was sure I had all the pieces of the puzzle to help dentists enjoy a complete and fulfilling journey.

I was wrong. What was missing was this simple fact: dentists are, at heart, clinicians. It's how you define yourselves, and in the end it's what determines how far the practice can go. Dentists who don't have a plan for ongoing clinical excellence see their practices stagnate and plateau. What I was teaching was vitally important – value excellence is what makes great clinical care desirable for patients, leadership (as opposed to management) excellence is what inspires teams and patients to believe in you, and lifestyle excellence means keeping everything in the right context. And I also realized that if you really want to reach dentists at a fundamental level you have to do it in a way that honors their driving passion. You have to inspire them toward the best clinical excellence.

That's why I am where I am today: partnering with some of the best clinical instructors in the profession to get to the heart of what makes great dentists great. Spear Education has made “Great Dentistry” its core theme and driving purpose, and here's how we define it: “the pursuit of clinical excellence that transforms the practices of doctors and the lives of patients.” It's a simple premise that drives everything we do.

So it's been a long journey, but I think I can finally I say I have arrived. I feel complete with what I am doing and I plan to do it for a long time more.

Take it from someone who has spent his professional career analyzing these things – anyone can buy the right technological tools and learn the basic strategies behind efficient practice management. You can – and should – develop a good life plan that helps you make the most of what you are doing in the practice. But the secret to achieving outstanding success in this profession will always boil down to one simple thing: an unshakeable commitment to reaching the next level of what you could be doing. Being a great dentist will always be about pursuing great dentistry.