ViewPoint Free advice for the recent, and not so recent, grad

There’s an old saying that practice makes perfect, but after three decades doing dentistry, I’ve learned one truth: perfection is a noble goal, but far from achievable in private practice. However, I’ve observed and absorbed several common themes that seem to run through all successful practices in our profession. Here are some highlights I’d like to share from that database, first with our most recent graduates.

Never forget you’re a one-trick pony. Stick to dentistry and surround yourself with the best in their area of expertise. This includes lawyers, accountants, consultants, hygienists, assistants, administrative staff, lab techs and dental supply/equipment experts.

Put your ego aside and allow your staff to get better than you at what they do best. When referring to specialists, know your limitations and do what’s best for the patient despite the holes in your schedule. Never send a patient to an office you have not visited first.

Build your barn before you build your house. Spend your money on the best staff and equipment you can afford. If the furniture in your living room is better than in your reception room, borrow a pick-up this weekend and switch it out. Sell that boat and buy a panoramic X-ray and an intra-oral camera.

Hire fast, fire fast. If you are not happy with an employee, they can never be happy in your office. Set them free to find a better fit. Screen for integrity, work ethic, teamwork, dependability, attention to detail and technical skills鈥攊n that order. Always check references. Always.

Put the patient first. This is the cornerstone of an ethical practice. The definition of a professional is someone who puts the patient’s best interests before their own. Dentists have to wear two hats. One is the health care provider hat, and one is the business hat. The best ethical and business decision you can make is to take the latter one off when you walk into the operatory, and concentrate only on the patient’s needs. And there is no better internal marketing program. If you do choose to advertise, make it add to and not detract from the esteem of the profession. Remember that a rising tide lifts all boats.

A license to practice is a license to learn. If all you have is a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail. Take courses that challenge you and expand your expertise, not familiar subjects just to fill up your CE dance card. Never take a sales pitch as the last word on a product. Check out the research yourself. Our license limits us to providing proven treatments, not selling experimental trials.

Join the dental society. You can’t be a professional without belonging to your professional organization: ADA/Washington State Dental Association/Seattle-King County Dental Society (for me). Start by joining a committee of your local component. You will get far more out of the experience than you will ever put in. And your practice will have no better advocate in the public arena, even if you hired a phalanx of attorneys and a yellow page of PR firms.

Pay attention. This is the best defense against failure and the best guarantee of success for any small business owner. Walk around, ask questions, analyze reports, upset routines and assume nothing. Phone calls are money. Answer all lines even during lunch and days off. Condemn clutter and embrace cleanliness. Patients care about your infection control protocol.

Lastly, remember why you show up every day. Recently I asked a prosthetic limb specialist in our building’s garage why he traded his Mercedes for a Ford Focus. He said he was preparing for a pay cut as he was voluntarily moving to Texas to treat Iraq War vets at an Army clinic. He simply felt he could make the most difference there at this point in his career. I felt a little awkward when he glanced over at my BMW, but he silently reminded me that being happy in your work is not about the money. Ironically, what we all told the admissions committee about “just wanting to help people” turned out to be true. The sense of accomplishment in seeing patients’ improvement in their oral health as a result of coming into our practice is a payoff few professions can provide.

And now my advice for those who have been in practice for several or many years: act like you’re a recent graduate. To paraphrase another old saying: tomorrow is indeed the first day of the rest of our practices.

Dr. Barry is a member of the Washington State Dental Association’s Editorial Board. His comments, reprinted here with permission, originally appeared in the September 2008 WSDA News. From 1994-98, Dr. Barry represented the 11th District on the ADA Board of Trustees.