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DENTAL
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REPORT.COM
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December 2014
The top 10 things patients think
when they are sitting in your chair
by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S
Why do you need to think about this? It’s simple …
it’s all about patient care. Do you care about your
patients? If so, part of that means caring about
what they are thinking when they are sitting right
in front of you. With my vast experience with den-
tal hygienists, assistants, dentists, periodontists,
TMJ experts and oral surgeons (you can imagine
my Christmas list!), I can tell you that these are the
things running through your patients’ minds. And
guess what? It isn’t very pretty.
Go to bit.ly/1oczLRg
The top 10 things you can think
but never say to a dental patient
by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S
With a tip of the hat to David Letterman and
his upcoming retirement, it’s time to roll out a
Top 10 list of things that might go through your
head on a daily basis, but should never come out
of your mouth.
Getty ImaGes / thomas BarwIck
Why do I share this list with you? Because you are
human and there are times when you feel anger,
resentment and frustration towards your patients
(we aren’t even going to talk about your feelings
about your colleagues in this article). But we aren’t
ever “allowed” to share our true feelings with the
patients, right? We have to use kind, gentle words
without offending the patients because, let’s face it,
we want their business, right?
Go to bit.ly/1t2stnu
The 5 worst things that can happen
when a patient walks into the practice
by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S
The third in a series of articles from Lisa New-
burger, LISW-S, following the enormous feedback
on her frst two articles, dentists and dental team
members are very interested in seeing things from
a patient’s perspective, and that’s exactly what Lisa
does with her writing. She has never worked a day
in a dental practice, but has spent plenty of time in
the reception area and the dental chair as a patient.
With that in mind, here is her view (as a patient) of
what could be going wrong at the front desk.
Go to bit.ly/1p67Dog
Is fee-for-service dentistry dying?
by Kevin Henry
With a boom in group practices and changes in
insurance sweeping over the dental landscape, we
asked members of the Academy of Dental Manage-
ment Consultants for their views on their thoughts
on the current and future states of fee-for-service
(FFS) dentistry. Is it stable? Is it going away?
Go to bit.ly/1ARe14q
The 10 myths of dental
practice success … and how
you can overcome them
by Tyson Steele
Many of the accepted “truths” regarding how to
improve your dental practice are just plain erroneous,
or at the least, misleading. Most of us believe these
myths, however, because they sound so reasonable.
Besides, it’s the conventional wisdom—everyone says
the same things. Unfortunately, these myths can get
you easily disoriented, shifting your focus away from
good practice management strategies.
Go to
bit.ly/1m4B6O9
DentalCodeology: CDT 2014 shifts
by Patti DiGangi and Teresa Duncan
Creating codes to embrace new technologies, mate-
rials and procedures can lead to earlier arrest and
prevention of oral disease and positively infuence
systemic health. For the past decade, the CDT codes
were updated every two years. To facilitate a fast-
moving world, CDT is now updated every year.
Go to bit.ly/1ahT9ok
3 things your dental practice
can learn from Starbucks
by Denise Ciardello
I was recently attending the Southwest Dental
Conference and had to step out of a class to take a call. I
found some tables that were outside the exhibit hall so
I parked there to concentrate on my conversation. As
I hung up, I noticed something very interesting. It was
in the middle of “class time” and the line to Starbucks
was quite long—so long that I was compelled to count.
Here’s what I learned from that experience—and how
it ties into the dental practice.
Go to bit.ly/1yiTdkF
The top 5 things dental assistants
do wrong … and how to fx them
by Tija Hunter, CDA, EFDA, CDIA, FADAA
Working in a dental office is one of the greatest
joys in my life. I sincerely love everything about
it. Through the years, I have found some common
mistakes dental assistants make, including myself. I
have found that changing the way dental assistants
do things (even just a little) will help you have low
stress and a more enjoyable work environment.
Go to bit.ly/1rYr27A
The 5 worst things overheard
at a dental practice
by Lisa Newburger, LISW-S
Do the walls have ears? Perhaps eyes? Are you sur-
prised to think that your patients are listening and
watching everything you do? That’s a scary thought
for some. There are fve things I have overheard frst-
hand at dental practices that have made my toes
curl. Even scarier is the fact that some of them I have
heard over and over again.
Go to bit.ly/1sR0NzI
3 ways to get your patients to say yes
by Kristin Pelletier
Changing the way you approach case presentation
can immediately remove the barriers to your treat-
ment presentation and have your patients saying
“yes.” Follow the tips outlined in this article and
you’ll be on the road to healthy patients, a happy
dental team and improved proftability.
Go to bit.ly/1qleOtN
These articles generated the most views over the last year.
To make sure you never miss a great piece, subscribe to the
Dental Practice Management eNewsletter at
practicemanagement.dentalproductsreport.com.
ARTICLES
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