September 2nd, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Remember the first days of school in September when you were younger? Sure, there may have been a feeling of loss as the footloose days of summer came to an end, but even those who dreaded the passing of the Labor Day weekend can’t deny that that time of year—new books and supplies, new teachers and classmates, entering a new level of education—brought with it an energizing sense of renewal and possibility. The new year of school really did feel like the start of a new year.
No matter how far we’ve come from those days, we can’t help but feel the change in the air in September. This is literally true in Arizona, where the fall season signals the time for us to come out of our air-conditioned sanctuaries and once again venture into the outside world. Wherever you are, I’m sure you’re feeling it too: the summer wind-down, vacation season (for you, your team and your patients) coming to a close. A “back-to-the real-world” feeling.
But it doesn’t have to be back to the same old routine. Why not try to capture some of that old back-to-school feeling? As you head into this long weekend, try to look on this time, not just as a change in seasons, but as a time of re-evaluation and rebirth. This is a natural time to think about your plans for the coming months—for your continuing education, for your practice, for your life. Time to get excited about the “new” year.
The 2010/2011 season starts now. Happy New Year, everyone.
Tags: Arizona, back to school, beginning, First day of school, Happy "Other" New Year!, imtiaz manji, Labor Day, new beginning
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August 31st, 2010 by Frank Spear
Video and photos from the amazing new Laguna Beach, Calif. location.
If you cannot see this video, please visit speareducation.com/blog.
Tags: Spear, spear education, spear video blog, spear vlog, The Winter Lab, The Winter Lab - Laguna Beach, video blog, vlog
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August 30th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
If you are paying for a Yellow Pages ad but you are not talking with patients about Facebook, please tell me: Why are you buying a little paper space to talk to who-knows-who and ignoring the free unlimited opportunity in cyperspace of tapping into the biggest networking and communication phenomena since the telephone?
Who is on Facebook?
• Your patients. And not the just young ones. Recent stats show that the middle-age cohort is the one making the most use of the website–especially women, who are traditionally the decision-makers and recommendation-givers in the home.
• Your patients’ friends. Forget six degrees of separation. Social networking, when employed effectively, puts you one degree away from everyone in every Facebook patients’ social orbit. When you pop up in one of your of patients’ status reports, all their online friends see it. And that’s worth a thousand blind ads.
• You, probably. You’re online and you’re here reading this blog. Chances are you have a Facebook account yourself. But are you using it to bring your patients and their bands of followers into your online sphere of influence?
• Me. You can find my page here. If you’re already a Facebook member, go ahead and “friend” me. If you’re not, sign up now (it’s free and easy) and give me the honor of being your first Facebook friend.
In future posts here, I’ll talk more about specific strategies for growing your network, showcasing your practice, and turning online contacts into in-chair patients. For now, let me just say this: Facebook is here to stay. If you plan to be, too, now is the time to take advantage of this social media powerhouse.
Tags: Facebook, imtiaz manji, patients, Practice, reaching patients, spear education, Who's on Facebook?
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August 27th, 2010 by Lee Ann Brady
“Measure twice, cut once.” Borrowing a favorite phrase of her father’s, Lee highlights the importance of verifying incisal reduction.
If you cannot see this video, please visit speareducation.com/blog.
Tags: lee ann brady, spear education, spear video blog, spear vlog, Veneer Preps, Veneer Preps: Part 5 of 5, video blog, vlog
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August 26th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
As the legendary song-writing team of Paul McCartney and John Lennon were hitting their stride in the early years of Beatlemania, so the story goes, they quickly came to realize how their artistic talents were translating into very tangible rewards. It was a time when they were starting to enjoy some material success—building their homes, and planning their futures. McCartney has been quoted as saying that at around this time, “John and I used to say ‘Okay, today let’s write a swimming pool.’”
He’s quick to point out that they still took their art very seriously—they wouldn’t write just anything to get that swimming pool—but they came to see very clearly the connection between what they were doing in their work and the gains they were making in their lives. It was, he says, an incredible motivator.
It’s worth remembering that, as an independent entrepreneur, you enjoy the same measure of control over your economic and professional destiny. You don’t have to negotiate a raise in income with anyone. You fuel your economic engine with the procedures you do. As you get better—at diagnosing, at presenting, at delivering—you start to see new opportunities open up. You can “write yourself” some facility upgrades, a CEREC unit, additional team training. Which means you can then perform at an even higher level and create even more opportunities. That recognition of the connection between what you do every day and the results you see from it tomorrow is at the very heart of what drives great spirits to achieve great things.
Tags: CEREC, entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, imtiaz manji, John Lennon, opportunity, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Write Your Own Ticket
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August 25th, 2010 by Steve Ratcliff
This is a case I did about 12 years ago. The upper arch is done with PFMs with a bridge from 9-11. At the time I splinted 6-8 due to mobility secondary to severe root resorption. The anterior teeth were done with PFMs after the Empress II restoration fractured at each of the connectors about nine months post-delivery.
The patient loved the esthetics of the all-ceramic restorations and would like to replace what she has with something that looks as good as the Empress II. She is also aware of the increasing bone loss in the area of the pontic and would like an implant. She doesn’t like the margin of #7.
Here is where I would love your input:
1. The front teeth are too short—solutions?
2. Materials?
3. Splint or not to splint?
I look forward to hearing from you all.
Tags: case, Clinical, esthetics, Help the doctor, patient, restoration, Steve Ratcliff
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August 24th, 2010 by Frank Spear
Clinical education, community, relationships – and a little fun – in the Aug. Lab Artistry and Communication hands-on workshop.
If you cannot see this video, please visit speareducation.com/blog.
Tags: Clinical, community, Courses, frank spear, lab artistry and communication, relationships, Spear, spear education, spear video blog, spear vlog, video blog, vlog, workshop
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August 23rd, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Take a look at this new dental facility:
That’s the exterior of the building that houses a pediatric dental practice in Little Rock, Ark. The image, and the ones that follow, came in an email from a client, Dr. Andy Kitchens, who attended our Practice Harmony workshop.
“Michael [the other partner] and I were at Scottsdale Center a couple of years ago for a course in office design,” he writes. “We moved into our new building just before Christmas of ’09. Everyone who sees it, especially the parents, really love the building. We thought you may like to see some photos.”
Remember that post on this blog recently about taking a Satisfaction Inventory in your practice? This is what I what I was talking about. Here are a couple of dentists who took stock of their surroundings and—with a little help and inspiration—decided they were going to create exactly the kind of environment that would allow them and their team to deliver the patient experience they dreamed of. They carried out their vision in a way that reflected their most cherished values, and they’ll have the result to enjoy for years to come. Considering how long the average dentist spends in the practice, you’d have to agree this kind of investment pays great long-term dividends in the quality of your professional life.
How many dentists can actually do something like this? I believe that most of you have the resources and ability to transform your practice lives in very significant and meaningful ways, without compromising economic responsibility. All it usually takes is the presence of mind to identify the gap between the dream and the reality, and the will to close it. It’s amazing how much of the rest tends to fall into place when you simply start to take action.
Thanks, Dr. Kitchens, for sharing these images from your practice makeover. And to anyone else who has a story of how they recognized an opportunity and made a great change in their life, by all means, send it along. I’d love to share your story here.
Tags: Andy Kitchens, dental facility, Dr. Andy Kitchens, environment, imtiaz manji, Inspiration, Living in Harmony, Practice, practice harmony, Satisfaction inventory, surroundings
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August 20th, 2010 by Lee Ann Brady
Incisal reduction tools and techniques.
If you cannot see this video, please visit speareducation.com/blog.
Tags: Clinical, dentist, dentistry, lee ann brady, spear education, spear video blog, spear vlog, Veneer Preps, Veneer Preps: Part 4 of 5, video blog, vlog
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August 19th, 2010 by Imtiaz Manji
Getting ready to board a flight the other day I ran into one of those all-too-common unpleasant travel experiences—nothing too serious, just a security person in a surly mood and some minor inconvenience. It would have been easy to reflect back that negative energy with some attitude of my own, or to let this person’s behavior cloud my day, but as it turns out, I was just returning from a trip with my sons to visit relatives and pay our respects at the grave of my wife, and their mother, Shahinool—and that always has a way of centering my thoughts. I smiled through the delay at the airport and calmly went on my way.
People say it a lot, but when you’ve just come from the graveside of a loved one you really do feel the truth of the phrase, “you take nothing with you.” And when you remember that nothing we do here is everlasting, you realize that inconveniences are really unimportant, and that life is about the people you love and the experiences you create—and I do mean create, because you have a choice about how to experience life. When you think about it, your life is like a work of art, an act of creation that unfolds in real time. I don’t know about you, but I want to engage with life—in every situation—in a way that brings the most joy and fulfillment.
For all I know, that security agent is a good person who was going through a difficult time. I can’t change his circumstances, or control his actions, but I can choose to respond in my own way, and I choose to try to remain consistent with the life I envision for myself—a life that lets me rise above petty annoyances and take the full measure of the simplest pleasures. It’s not always easy, but then good art is never easy to achieve.
Tags: annoyance, annoyances, happiness, imtiaz manji, peace, pleasure, Practice, simple pleasures, Your Greatest Creation
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