Are You Avoiding the Money Issue?

Not surprisingly, there's been a lot of discussion in the dental community about the recent Frontline show “Dollars and Dentists.”

I'm not going to get into a detailed response – my fellow Spear Education writer, Dr. Martin Mendelson said it all quite well in his article Response to "Dollars and Dentists" – but I am concerned about how a media story like this influences the perception of dentists and money that's out there, and the impact that has on the mindsets of dentists.

The simple fact of the matter is that most of the dentists I know – certainly the best ones – are not driven by money considerations. They deliver the best care they can, whether it's a $100 procedure or a $10,000-case. They take great pride in their clinical integrity. The great ones also have economic integrity.

Economic integrity is about recognizing your value and being up front about it. Which dentist would you trust more to give you an honest evaluation, one who is clinically respected and financially secure, or one who is hiding behind the systems? Success is about showing patients all the care options they have and then delivering that care they choose to the highest clinical standards. Those standards are never driven by economic considerations, but economic results are directly related to high clinical standards.

I know we all agree that money should not be the primary motivating force for a dentist. But economic success will always be vitally important because that's what creates more opportunities – for you, your team and your patients.

The best things being done in dentistry today – the innovations, education and high-level philanthropic efforts – are being done by men and women who have both clinical and economic integrity in equal measure.