Financial success and Non GP procedures

My Ortho Story: This is the story of my own ortho endeavors. My first ortho case was a class II on an 18 year old. It took a lot of work but when it was finished the outcome was amazing. I loved doing ortho and the satisfaction of a perfectly completed case. From a professional satisfaction point it was incredible. However, there were also cases that didn’t work out quite as well. Why? They required monthly adjustments. Many patients came in to have wires put on but never came back. I don’t even remember the name of the ortho system I purchased but I do remember it cost about $25k, not including the supplies. Therefore, from an earnings standpoint, my GP procedures were always much much more profitable.

My thoughts on GPs providing ortho, implants, botox, and other non GP procedures is that, it's absolutely not necessary for general dentists to do anything outside of the scope of general dentistry to make money. If your goal is to maximize production, there is no need to get any extra credentials or certifications. There’s just no need and actually, the truth is, you can be more profitable with general dentistry and have less legal exposure.

Regarding orthodontics, in particular, patient compliance is not within your control. Also, in addition to the real specialists who went through regular training to do those procedures, there are many GPs trying to chase the same pool of patients.? Competition is high and each CE course is? long and expensive. For business owners, there is more risk exposure when you hire other GPs to perform non GP procedures. In retrospect, do I feel as if it was worth my time, money, and effort? Not at all. Performing GP procedures which we are already trained to do is more than enough to make a great living.

More established businesses like McDonalds have analyzed and determined that their drinks and fries have the greatest profit margin. They also know which products make very little profit, for example, burgers which are more complicated. Sometimes, these products are even sold at a loss, in order to attract customers who the company can profit from in other areas.?

The reality of dentistry today

Many doctors get certification to perform implants in order to make a better living. In many cases, things do not work out as they anticipate. The following are some examples which I have encountered personally. Ironically, I have observed the same pattern, over and over. When doctors place money before their patients’ needs, they end up with very little of it. I use these real life examples not to attack other dentists but to try to demonstrate this to new dentists whom I interview so that they can? hopefully learn to not repeat the same mistakes.?

Dr L was a board certified prosthodontist. For years he moved from one associate job to another. Dr. L’s philosophy was that only prosthodontic procedures were worth his time.? Everything else in GP was junk. He wanted to take home more than his base pay but, he didn't make it because no one else wanted to refer their higher dollar procedures to him. He didn't last long at my office either.?

Dr A C: He had his own prosthodontist office which did not survive. After years of struggling he closed it and opened a GP business elsewhere. The GP office was much more profitable for him since he added fillings to his daily procedures.?

Case Study: I had a doctor interviewee who already had her own office. However, she wasn't making it. She said her office had patients but most of them had perfect teeth, so all she did was place a “watch” on all the small caries. On top of this, she was too scared to do extractions and felt that root canals just took too long. As a result, she was struggling so she spent time and money on CE classes to learn how to do botox and braces. Still, she couldn’t seem to make ends meet, so she came to me seeking a part time position.?

Case Study: Many general practitioners want to get certified to place implants. Keep in mind oral surgeons, prosthodontists, and periodontists perform implants as well as many GPs. All these doctors are competing for the very limited pool of patients who can even afford an implant.? If money is your main purpose to learn how to perform an implant you are going about it the wrong way. If it's professional satisfaction you are after then that's ok. Just don't expect to be making a lot of income from it.?

Dr N: I interviewed a doctor who used to work at a nationwide DSO. She told me the story of Dr. N, her dental director, who is 54 years old and has been working as a GP for 27 years. Dr N does not perform fillings, root canals, or any other gp procedures but crowns. Instead, he only wants to place all on 4s fours. Is it financially rewarding? No. Dr N wants a Porsche but he doesn't have one.? His wife wants a bigger, better house but they can not afford it. What is my interviewee’s conclusion? GPs performing implants are just not worth it financially.? (REPEAT?)

Dr P: Another interviewee, Dr P has been working as a dentist for 4 years and has worked at many different practices. He was let go from his previous job at the previous place for lack of production. What did he do? He spent tens of thousands and weeks learning how to place implants from Costa Rica but he still wasn’t making ends meet and was looking for a part time position. ? (REPEAT?)

The two Dr. L’s: Both are board certified prosthodontists. Neither could make a living so they started working as GPs. Unfortunately, they both called the one GP procedure that can make them a great living, “junk”. As far as I know, they are still struggling today.

Dr S: He called and was looking for a job as a GP. When asked about what he enjoyed doing the most as a dentist, he said implants. He had his own business which was not profitable so he sold it. Implants did not help him save his business. When I told him that my associates only perform GP procedures he scoffed. He went on and on about how amazing his implants were, and that he could place implants all day. When asked how much his average take home per month, his response was about the same as our brand new associates.?

Dr Dan was a friend years ago. He came back from an out of state school and was eager to set up his own office in the mid-cities. He had just completed a two year AEGD program and one year of implant training. He showed me all the implant patients he treated in school. He was so proud of his ability to place implants. It's been years since I last heard from him but I found out recently that his practice went under.?

Dr O: He has his own GP office in a small west Texas town. His office was not doing well so he went to Vegas for weeks and spent a ton of money and time to learn implant placement yet his business is still struggling. He opens his office three days a week and offers to come to us, four hours away, to work three more days. He would be away from his wife and kids and live in a hotel while working for us part-time.?

I am not trying to discourage GPs from getting certified to do implants, all-on-fours, braces, botox, and all the rest. If you want to do it for your own personal satisfaction, by all means, go for it. If you want to use it to supplement your already flourishing practice or practices, great idea. But, if you are struggling and believe that it is a life preserve to keep you afloat, I want to say that there is a much easier way. I can help you to make a great living as a GP. My current associates all take home much more than the Texas average for dentists. I only need for you to have an open mind and a willingness to learn. It's unfortunate that so many dentists are still struggling in their sixties and seventies. I know this because they have come to me looking for a job. What I have to share can enable dentists to produce with much less stress, less liability, and end up with more take home. Most importantly, my philosophy places patient care first. It’s a win-win.?

Below is the best way to make the most collectible production:

Do as many fillings as needed. It's a win-win for both patients and dentists. Make fillings as the bulk of daily production.

?All non filling procedures:

a). DDS shouldn’t depend on these procedures as the bulk of daily production. On the contrary these procedures should be supplement fillings.?

b.) Dentists should have the skills and speed to produce from these procedures on the days when fillings are not present as bulk production.?

In conclusion, knowing what products to offer is one of the keys to the success of your business or your production, if you are an associate. Don’t be fooled by the high dollar non GP procedures. There are many disadvantages associated with them. It's absolutely not necessary for a GP to go through the extra time, expense, and stress to learn those procedures. Even after you learn them, financial success many times does not follow.?