Share Tweet Share

Oftentimes, our work takes precedence over everything else in our lives. Our desire to succeed professionally can push us to set aside our own well-being. Creating a harmonious work-life balance can be challenging but it is essential to improve our physical, emotional and mental well-being. Here are six things you can start doing right now to achieve a better work-life balance.

1. Set an intention for the day

By setting an intention, you are creating a plan of how you want your day to go. When we lack intention, we often feel overwhelmed and out of control. An intention will help you take back control and set yourself up for success by making time for what really matters.

2. Incorporate exercise into your day

Too often, the first to go when our calendars fill up is exercise. Exercise not only reduces stress but improves our mood and work performance. Fit exercise into your busy weekly schedule in the same manner of the often-used airplane oxygen mask example. We need to prioritize exercise so that we can benefit from the decrease in stress and the increase in self-efficacy it provides. Don’t have an hour to lift weights or attend a workout class? Start with a brisk walk around the block. Every little bit counts!

3. Change your self-talk 

Our patterns of self-talk can all too often be negative. We focus on preconceived ideas that we’re “not good enough,” “always a failure” or “can’t do anything right.” On the other hand, positive self-talk switches our narrative to ideas like “I can do better next time” or “I choose to learn from my mistakes and not be held back by them.” It’s about showing yourself some self-compassion and understanding who you are and what you’ve been through.  

4. Take time to disconnect

When you are available all the time, your workday never ends. You need time to shut off your phone and unplug. Give yourself a chance to separate from work – whether it’s taking a 5-minute breather outside the office, practicing yoga or just learning to say no. Embrace every moment of calm that you can throughout the day.

5. Give yourself some grace

It’s time we redefine what perfection means to us and strive for excellence, not perfection. It’s important to remember that you can’t be everything to everyone. Give yourself the grace to “be enough” and not “perfect.” This small mental shift can be a small change that makes a big difference.

6. Save energy by using the right software

Having the right software can not only save you time throughout the day, but also eliminate unwanted stress. If your current software systems make you feel more stressed and it’s challenging to accomplish daily tasks, it might be time to consider implementing a new software.

Determining the right software for your dental practice can be a big decision. Let us help you chart the best course for your unique practice with a free, 15-minute Revolve Software Suite consultation.

Your work-life balance should make you feel like you are paying enough attention to all the important aspects of your life. When you feel the scale of attention is tipped too far in one direction, that is when changes need to be made. The idea of finding balance is to allow us to find the point in-between our work and personal life that ensures both are flourishing. We hope these tips help you on the path to achieving a better work-life balance.

• T-Bone
• December 8, 2020

by Dr. Brian McGue

“Doc, I can still feel my tooth,” she said. 

We hadn’t done anything yet. We had placed a mandibular block 10 minutes earlier. She was on 50% nitrous oxide. My assistant had just pulp tested the tooth with cold and the patient hadn’t been able to feel anything with that tooth or any of the teeth in the lower right mandibular quadrant. The patient needed a badly decayed #30 extracted.  I was still in the middle of putting my gloves on.

“Doc, I can still feel something…” she continued but this time her voice had a hint of panic in her voice. I stopped putting on my gloves, leaned back on a treatment cabinet and looked at the patient. That’s when I noticed all the clues that weren’t there at the emergency exam appointment a few days earlier. When I saw this patient at the emergency appointment she was having some pain with #30 but seemed fairly calm. She knew she needed to have #30 extracted and wanted to get the procedure done before Thanksgiving which was about 10 days away. We had scheduled her for the extraction and placed her on antibiotics.

Today was a different story. The first red flag/clue was when she came back to the operatory with her boyfriend. An adult patient who cannot sit for a dental procedure without a support person is outside the norm. The second red flag was her body language. Her whole body was tense. She was gripping the chair arms. She was sweating even though we keep our treatment rooms somewhat cool.  The final clue was her reaction to her perceived level of numbness. Whether she was completely anesthetized wasn’t the point. Her perception of her level of numbness was causing her to slide into the pain-anxiety loop.

The pain-anxiety loop is well known in psychology. It’s a simple concept. We, as dentists, inherently know this phenomenon. It was first enunciated by a physician, W.W. Schottstraedt, in his 1960 book The Pyschophysiologic Approach to Medical Practice: “Pain is a source of anxiety, anxiety is a factor that increases pain, and increased pain incites further anxiety.” In a nutshell, pain and anxiety are circularly related.

The patient in the chair was following this theory exactly. She was anxious which caused her to have a heightened response to pain and that pain was making her increasingly more anxious. At this point we had a decision to make:  either add more anesthetic, maybe with an intraosseous injection, and hope we achieve profound anesthesia or remove her anxiety by rescheduling her and using oral conscious sedation. Because of her increasingly higher level of anxiety we opted for the later.  We backed the patient off of the nitrous, sat her up and explained that we were going to reschedule her for sedation which we felt would make sure she was numb when we took the tooth out.  The patient was very appreciative. 

We immediately did the pre-operative sedation appointment protocol of hooking the patient up to the monitors for at least five minutes, reviewing her medical history and medications, going over informed consents and pre- and post- operative instructions, and dispensing the sedation medications in child-proof containers. Because the patient was not taking any medications, was young and had high anxiety we used the maximum dosages for our Stay In The Box dosing protocols for the pre-procedure anxiety medications for night before the procedure and the day-of procedure sedation medications.  

Three days later we saw the patient. The patient was well sedated but conscious and able to communicate with us. We easily anesthetized the tooth and the extraction was straightforward. The patient did not react at all to the anesthetic placement or the extraction.

Later that evening I called the patient to see how she was doing and how she felt things went today from her perspective. The patient had no memory of having been in the office or of the extraction and was very happy. 

I feel a lot of times the so-called “hot tooth” can be managed better with sedation. Once the pain-anxiety circular path can be interrupted many of those hard to anesthetize teeth or patients can be managed easily. Without question a sedated patient numbs deeper with less anesthetic. Sometimes it pays to simply not push the procedure but take a step back and reschedule the patient with oral conscious sedation.

This post was originally published on the Podium Blog.

Just as consumers look to online reviews to decide where they’ll go for dinner or purchase a new product, they also look to online reviews and ratings to select their healthcare providers.

In a Podium-sponsored virtual session at Becker’s Hospital Review 11th Annual Meeting, Bryan Oram, AVP of Strategic Healthcare Sales at Podium, discussed the influence of online reviews for prospective patients and described what healthcare organizations can do to improve their online ratings.

Here are the four key takeaways from Bryan’s session:

1. Online reviews are influencing how patients search for care.

“Consumers are looking at what other consumers are saying,” said Bryan. And it’s that third-party validation that influences 88% of consumers’ healthcare provider selection. Over 30% of patients say online reviews play a big role in choosing their care while over 50% say they’re willing to travel farther and pay more in order to patronize a practice with higher reviews.” Online reviews are quickly becoming the first stop for consumers as they search for care.

2. Consumers are looking beyond the five-star rating.

While high average star ratings are still the baseline for consumer trust, patients often look beyond just the five-star rating. The number of reviews, the recency of the reviews, and the location of the business also affect whether a patient considers a healthcare provider, as well as the order in which third-party sites, like Google, display the practice. Higher ranked search results garner more of the clicks, no matter the industry.

3. Responding to online reviews can impact a patient’s perspective.

As prospective patients review online reviews, they also pay attention to service recovery—whether or not a business responds to a negative review and the message that’s conveyed in that response. The how and what of those messages influence consumer opinion. In fact, “56% of patients say that a practice’s response to reviews has changed their perspective on the practice,” said Bryan. If your practice isn’t reviewing and responding to reviews for your business, consumers are taking note.

4. Healthcare organizations need a review collection strategy.

Disgruntled patients are more likely to post reviews online compared to patients that have a positive experience. If your practice is waiting for more patients to write reviews organically, without getting asked, you likely won’t see the results you want.

A review strategy, especially one that uses post-visit text messages to ask patients to leave a review, increases the number of reviews, the recency of those reviews, and the average rating (especially because happy patients are the ones leaving reviews). Include a link to the review site in your text to patients post-visit. It makes it quick and easy for them to visit the review site directly from their mobile device. “When prompted, those who have had a good experience are likely to leave a review, especially if you remove a lot of the barriers,” said Bryan.

To learn more and listen to the entire session, click here.

Get better dental reviews with Podium

Watch a Demo and get started with Podium to see how our cloud-based platform can help your practice take its online reputation to the next level. Podium’s efficient, mobile process can help your practice collect 15x the reviews that traditional platforms produce, which in turn will improve local SEO and ultimately boost revenues.

Originally Featured in New Dentist Blog.

Something feels oddly familiar.

Sitting in my neighborhood coffee shop with my laptop open, staring at a course syllabus as it ominously lays out what my life will look like for the next several months. Coffee, flash cards, and wild Friday nights are in my future. And if I’m lucky, I’ll get the pleasure of writing a research paper or two while I’m at it. I can only hope as I start my endo residency.

Dr. Vaughn

I haven’t “studied” in six years. I haven’t even thought about studying. It’s been so long since I’ve studied that I’m not even sure I still know how to do it effectively. But still here I am, a student once more, and residency promises to be very much one of those sink or swim scenarios.

Luckily, I haven’t forgotten everything that I learned in dental school. There’s a few lessons I’m bringing with me this time that I’ve picked up along the way. Maybe you’ve heard these a few times before. Maybe you haven’t. But I think all of us, from brand new dental students to those who’ve been out a while, could use a refresher.  Here’s four important lessons that I learned in dental school and in my years practicing as a general dentist.

1. Get your money’s worth.

Every day you walk into your dental school, it’s like showing up to an 8-hour CE course for which you have paid top dollar. It’s tempting to coast. Many of us are guilty of trying to get through our programs by putting as little effort in as possible.

“D stands for Degree,” right?

But what I’ve learned is that dental school is filled with opportunities to learn more than the bare minimum. Some of the most impressive people in our profession work in dental education. And what I’ve found out is that many of the expensive, top-notch CE courses you take as a practicing dentist are taught by, you guessed it, dental school faculty. Take advantage of your environment. You’ve already paid for it.

2. Listen well

Having been a part-time faculty a few times myself, I’ve found one of the most desirable qualities in a student is the ability to listen well. Are you teachable? Can you take constructive criticism? Are you willing to own that “student” mentality?

Will you agree with all of your attendings? No.

Do you have to agree? Of course not.

But no one ever starts a sentence hoping that you’ll finish it for them. Not every teacher is waiting for your perfectly crafted rebuttal of why you did what you did. Oftentimes, listening is the most powerful tool we have. You will find that this translates well out in practice. Make an effort to actively listen to what your patients have to say, and you’ll have a group of raving fans who trust you wholeheartedly.

3. Hand skills rarely matter

Look through the Google reviews of any dental office in your community and you know what you won’t see? Any mention whatsoever about the occlusal composite staining of the Class I secondary grooves. No 5-Star review on the distoincisal angle of your biomimetically placed resin composite. Not even a single word about that buttery smooth crown margin that you spent an extra 15 minutes polishing for your Instagram photo.

Of course, our hand skills do actually matter (to a degree). But my point is that to the patient, what is often more important (and rarely taught in dental school) are the soft skills required to be a successful practitioner. If I could go back to dental school, I’d spend much more time honing that skill set. Because if you can effectively communicate with your patients, and if you can make a great first impression and win their trust, dentistry becomes a lot easier and a lot more enjoyable.

4. Don’t sleep on business and finance.

From my very first day in dental school, I was told that we wouldn’t learn a single thing about how to run a business, but oddly enough it was essential to our success as a dentist. After hearing that, do you think I made a single effort to learn about business and finance as a dental student? (See lesson #1. Hint: I did not)

Like so many of us, I chose the path of least resistance. I didn’t even look at my student loans until six months after finishing my GPR. I didn’t read a single article on practice management until two years into practice.

What a huge mistake. Such a huge mistake in fact, that now I spend much of my time talking to dental students about how to manage their student debt and avoid common mistakes that are made every single day. Mistakes that can set your career back years, and could ultimately affect the decisions you’re able to make for you and your family.

So don’t do what I did. Don’t do what so many of us in this profession continue to do. Start early. Take control of your student loans. Spend time learning about how they work, how to save and budget, and even how to invest.

Tap into the vast list of resources on practice management and how to run a business. Books, podcasts, blogs, and even YouTube. Ask your part-time faculty how they run their private practices. Take advantage of the ADA Success program and have an experienced dentist come to your school and talk about these topics (I’d be more than happy to visit and tell you everything I know).

Dental school was honestly some of the best years of my life. And although it was very difficult and challenging at times, the memories will last me a lifetime. I want to wish all future dentists the best of luck in this new school year. Cherish these moments and always make an effort to take advantage of the opportunities in front of you. Cheers!

Dr. Joe Vaughn is a general dentist who graduated from the University of Alabama and currently practices in Seattle, Washington. He works both as an associate in a private practice as well as in a public health clinic. Dr. Vaughn currently serves in roles with both the Seattle King County Dental Society and the Washington State Dental Association. He is passionate about organized dentistry, writing, and talking with other dentists about the many issues we are facing in our profession today. He welcomes any and all of your questions/comments and can be reached at jkvaughn44@gmail.com.

 By American Association Of Dental Office Management

When your team hears that it’s time to start the morning huddle, do they drag their feet, moan and groan, or come to huddle ready to start the day? Are they on their cell phones or eating breakfast?

Morning huddles are the time for you to shine as a dental office manager.

You bring the energy.

You motivate the team to get excited about the day, discuss ways to boost production, and avoid any potential roadblocks in the schedule.

Make the huddle fun but informative and productive for your team.

As the team leader, you should come in with a positive attitude and set the mood for the day.

Here are three important aspects to having a great morning huddle:

Huddle format

The huddle needs to start at the same time every morning and should last about 15-20 minutes.

The huddle should be brief and on point.

Team members should come to the huddle with a copy of the schedule and a pen so they can take notes.

It’s important to not have any distractions such as cell phones, breakfast, or chatting amongst themselves. Everyone needs to be focused and ready for the day.

The team needs to see this as an important part of their morning so that the day runs smoothly.

Leader of the huddle

There are a few ways to facilitate the huddle.

There can be one team member (usually the office manager) running the meeting every day or the team can take turns running the huddle.

The facilitator needs to start the meeting on time, make sure the discussions pertain to the schedule, and discuss any insurance questions or same-day treatment opportunities.

Give the team an opportunity to talk about how yesterday went and how today looks.

What worked and what didn’t?

Let the team give their input as to how to make the day run smoother. This gives the team an appreciation of how important they are and how their input matters.

Huddle agenda

An agenda helps keep the meeting on track so as not to miss any opportunities for patient care.

It helps if you have an outline for the huddle.

Discuss opportunities for same-day treatment and if there are family members who need recare appointments.

The team needs to come to the meeting prepared by looking at the schedule prior to the start of the meeting. This helps with personal accountability and gives them an opportunity to discuss any concerns they may have.

Be ready to listen to any concerns and recommendations.

By having a morning huddle, you will change how your day goes.

Sure, there will be hiccups in the schedule, but by everyone being on the same page the team will know how to handle them.

The morning huddle takes some practice but by having one every day, you and your team will get better and your production will increase.

When we all work together for the same outcome, our day will run much smoother.

---

Meet the Author

Audrey Clements, FAADOM, is the office manager at Yulee Family Dentistry… This text opens a new tab to the practice’s website… in NE Florida.

She has been in the dental field for over 30 years, beginning her career as a dental assistant and gradually working her way up to the role of office manager.

She is currently the vice president of her local AADOM Chapter… This text opens a new tab to the NE Florida chapter website….