I\u2019m going all in on this one, my friend. I just can\u2019t hold back any longer. I want to address the rampant contradictory irrationality that is washing through our industry during a time when it ought to be more proactive than ever before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not talking about the Virus, though there is that too. I\u2019m talking about the incredible (in the completely poor sense of the word) and irresponsible speculation \u2013 yes speculation \u2013 about what will or won\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yes, things are uncertain now. You\u2019ve been told by various people and governing bodies that you are either not-essential and\/or not-safe. Thus, you can no longer practice. I wonder if anyone saying this has actually read the Department of Homeland Security and Health and Human Services definition of essential and how they categorize dentistry. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have you seen the standard that says, \u201cAll Healthcare Professionals Are Essential\u201d because it\u2019s out there on the places that matter. Just not our industry associations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Either way, I am not here to debate whether or not you think what you do is essential to a patient\u2019s health or if practicing dentistry is safe during the pandemic?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I will leave you to your opinion on these items, not that it matters. Other people who don\u2019t know anything about what you do or the impact on patients\u2019 health for delaying treatment are making the decisions for you for seeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My job and responsibility to you (as stated similarly on a different profession\u2019s governing body association website, which is not dentistry \u2013 can you guess?), is to advocate for your control over and decisions on your own dental practice and unrestrictive ability to not be told how to practice or how to run your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Of course, right now, we are in extraordinary times and that calls for extraordinary measures\u2026 that\u2019s why I\u2019m not arguing one way or another \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The absolute most important thing you can possibly do is protect yourself, your team, your family, and your patients. Right now, this new threat of the coronavirus is the focal point of everything in order to \u201cstop the spread\u201d and buy time in order to better handle the volume of people who are affected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I\u2019m saying is: all health matters. Even though this is taking precedence right now, it doesn\u2019t and shouldn\u2019t make anything \u201cdentistry\u201d be of lesser importance overall for the total and complete health of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here\u2019s the question that someone has to be asking\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s okay to wait, delay, and skip \u2018elective\u2019 and \u2018non-essential\u2019 care (as defined by someone else), now \u2013 during the Virus \u2013 why wouldn\u2019t it be okay to continue putting it off afterwards?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are some self-righteous, grandstanding Doctors out there that will claim by me saying you should be allowed to open and see patients if you want to, that I\u2019m risking people\u2019s lives and that there is a greater calling and purpose we can all do if we band together now by staying home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m for a temporary shutdown, if that\u2019s what we have to do to beat the pandemic as fast as possible. Then we can get back to proactively taking care of patients\u2019 long-term health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I have been saying \u2013 as soon as you get over the worry, the loans, the (often appropriate) impulse reactions that need to be taken to minimize and mitigate the damage being done to your practice \u2013 it\u2019s time we turn our attention towards protecting the assets that matter most in your business\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can protect your patients by keeping them away \u2013 physically. However, while doing that, you ought to go on offense protecting their minds mentally. So, when the dust settles and the virus passes, you still matter, you are still relevant, dentistry IS in fact an ESSENTIAL part of their Healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are going to stand idly by and let other people talk for you, you are going to be in a world of hurt. Patients will not ever lose their \u2018need\u2019 for dentistry, it is more a matter of whether or not they will lose their \u2018need\u2019 for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the next handful of weeks, I\u2019m going to be laying out step by step the most powerful Practice Recovery Plan that you can take to proactively (and safely) hit the ground running when you are ready (or when someone gives you permission). This will allow you to come back into your practice more prepared than ever, more relevant than ever, and more important to your patients than ever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I see amazing things out there being done by amazing doctors who are strengthening their relationships with their patients in ways they never have before. They are already seeing the fruits of it, patients lining up for future appointments, days of hygiene expanding, referrals being made, new patients curious about options for them\u2026 the list goes on. Creative, entrepreneurial, positive things are being done all over the country to serve patients in new and different ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is what is really trying my patience right now \u2013 in addition to the virus \u2013 it\u2019s the people in our industry telling you that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be tough\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPatients are going to be fearful\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo body will want to do dentistry\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey won\u2019t have any money\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe are in this for the long haul\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBlah, blah, blah\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I call them outright lies. Fear mongering, just like the media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want me to be more polite, then we\u2019ll go back to my previous word\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s all speculation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First of all, if you lose one or two months of patients in your practice, you are going to be busier when you come back, not slower. That\u2019s common sense based on simple math. Even if there are some that aren\u2019t ready, you might lose 5-15% but still be fine for the coming months because you lost 5-15% of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And, about patients\u2019 mindsets, I\u2019d be real careful how you go about announcing why you are closed and what you are saying to people between now and when you ask them to come back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whoever stands up, takes the lead, is willing to be a truth teller of positive optimism, and gives them guidance on getting healthy will be who they believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They aren\u2019t going to be afraid of coming to the Dentist. They will expect you to take various precautions of course, but they trust you because you have always been there for them \u2013 especially during this time of crisis. They are going to be excited to come back in, be around people (won\u2019t we all), and begin to experience a sense of normalcy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ll be the first to admit when I\u2019m wrong \u2013 I have broad shoulders. I also have insight to more doctors and practices than just about anyone. I have a great deal of confidence that\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Patients will even accept treatment more than ever before because they will have faced this life and death experience \u2013 like we all have \u2013 and they will choose to be MORE PROACTIVE than ever before. That\u2019s what people do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can\u2019t possibly listen to an industry that is fed by big corporations and insurance companies \u2013 even though you out number them. Take a look around and tell me who has your back? So, you better have your own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking of who has your back\u2026 have you asked your Team how they are enjoying being at home all day long? I have. They can\u2019t wait to get back in the office taking care of patients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And those patients will walk in with money to spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know you aren\u2019t the one who needs this message (the Doctors that aren\u2019t here reading this are the ones that need it the most; you could send it to them but I\u2019m not sure we even want them around)…<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is NO economic problem. The economy has been turned off; it has been manipulated. It is incredibly sad that the term \u201cunemployment\u201d is even allowed to be used when the government forced the shutdown to happen. The people have jobs; they\u2019ve just been told to sit on the sidelines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Demand isn\u2019t going down \u2013 Supply has been taken away. When supply returns, demand will have been pent up like never before. (How badly do you miss your date night dinners?) People are WAITING to break free and spend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What you should be doing is reaching out more than ever \u2013 filling the pipeline, building relationship, and creating your own demand. You can capture their interest while it is sitting there doing nothing (while everyone else is sitting there doing nothing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To wrap up, let me be clear: I\u2019m not telling you to see patients or not to see patients. You will be able to again when the time is right. What I don\u2019t like is someone else holding you hostage from your own decisions and never telling you when that ends \u2013 when is it okay for all Healthcare Professionals to be considered essential once again?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When will dentistry matter again? Another month, a month after that, after the last coronavirus case has been counted. And who gets to decide?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t expect you to agree with me or be willing to take such a position. You don\u2019t have to, you get to make up your own mind. I look forward to the time when you can fully do that again \u2013 and when patients can too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the meantime, you better get out in front of your patients and protect them from people inside our industry who are going against everything that you have worked for, for your entire life. They can\u2019t continue telling your patients that what you do doesn\u2019t matter, that it is \u2018non-essential\u2019 and only emergencies count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can close down your practice to join the quarantine \u2013 it may very well be the right community service thing to do \u2013 but don\u2019t tell people it\u2019s because you or they or what you do doesn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rest assured, I will always have your back. Whether we agree every time or not, I\u2019m looking out for your best interest and your ability to practice privately, independently, and on your own terms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"