Being just a week shy of 36, I know I have many years ahead of me to practice.  But I can also say, confidently, how I would like my career to end.  Not with a great amount of fanfare but with a whisper.  I don’t even expect that there will be a major sale, merger or acquisition…just a quiet closing of the door.

It won’t all happen at once, of course.  But, in the later years, our already small and quiet practice will slowly become even quieter.  First to go will be the noise of the drill as we use it less frequently.  Then the sound of the sharpening of tooth cleaning instruments.  Finally, the sound of our suction will disappear.  The only sound that will remain is the conversation with our patients centered on the actions that they can take to keep themselves healthy.

You see, in our practice people will eventually bring themselves to a point where they have very little need for dental treatment or cleanings.  This is not because we have “fixed” them (though there may have been some repair along the way). We certainly can’t take disease away from someone.  Instead it will be because of their own actions, guided by our team as their trusted partners and coaches.

Then one day, there will be no one on the schedule.  That day our friends will stop in to say hello and talk about their health.  But no one will oss the threshold from our reception area into our treatment rooms. 

At the end of that day I will quietly close the door and lock it one last time.  I will go home, hug my wife and thank her for all of the love and support that allowed me to pursue health with my patients for so many years.  Then, with our kids all grown, we will enjoy a quiet dinner and turn the page on this chapter of our lives and begin to write the next…..

Impossible! Some may say (and they may be right).  But If we are ever to achieve the true potential of our relationship, should I (as your dentist) aim for anything less??

I did not purchase a dental practice for power, prestige or money.  I did so because of a desire to serve others and some very strong feelings about the way people deserve to be treated.  There are four key ideas that I always come back to whenever I ask myself “what is our dental practice really about?”  I call them the 4 Pillars of Person-Centered Care:

1)            People deserve our time and attention, to be listened to and understood

2)            Our primary obligation to those we serve is to help them make choices about their dental health that fit their goals and values and to allow them to do so with clarity and dignity

3)            If someone does request that we provide treatment, we will do so to the highest standards of quality and comfort

4)            We are but stewards of our talents.  Our knowledge skills and abilities exist for the service of others

If you or someone you know is struggling with their current dental situation and needs some help to find the path that is right for them, call our office and schedule a complimentary, no obligation 30 minute consultation.

Do you have a dentist in your family?….well, you do now.  Let me tell you what I mean by that.  My father is a physician and whenever an extended family member needed some medical guidance they would call him.  This was partially for his expertise, but more so because they trusted him and knew that he understood their values.  So, they knew he would help them make a good decision.

So, when I say: “you now have a dentist in your family”.  I mean that from this moment forward I will help you in any way I can to make decisions for your dental health that fit your values and long-term goals…even if you are not looking to end the relationship you have with your current dentist.

I will happily schedule a consult to sit down and talk with you in our office about what is most important to you about your health, the situation you are currently facing and what options you have.  Because when you are clear on these three things, an option will stand out that fits your values and a good decision becomes easy.

So if you are ready to become a patient at our office and build a life-time relationship with us, great.  But, if not, I will still help you in any way I can because, after all, that’s what I would want for my family.

A Direction is the power to create what you want for your future.  It comes from always knowing where you are and staying focused on where you want to go.  No lectures.  Rather we help you unlock your own motivation to pursue the goals that are most important to you.

The “normal” situation in a high volume practice is directionless.  Rather than being able to choose your own future, you are given a treatment plan based upon what the dentist thinks needs to be fixed at one point in time.  Ignored is your VOICE, that is your preferences, values, and goals…YOUR INPUT.  Your only involvement in this scenario is to say YES or NO to the plan, and you feel conflict or confusion if this plan is not in sink with your Voice.

If instead, the focus is on helping you to better understand what you really want for your future, and where you are currently in relationship to that vision, your power to control your destiny is unleashed.  Together we can achieve that goal.

The real key, however, is not just understanding where you are and where you are going, but also achieving real and perceptible results along the way.  When our decisions lead to results, only then does our thinking change and we start to believe in our ability to reach our goals.

The keys to us helping you build this momentum, then, are helping you to clarify your vision for the future, to understand the reality of your current condition, and to recognize and sustain results.  The details of this process are contained within the plan that we create together, your Path.

Our practice is dedicated to treating each person as an individual with unique values, needs and goals.  As such we believe that each person that steps into our practice has certain rights.  Much like our nation’s Bill of Rights, this document guarantees certain personal freedoms to those that read it:

Freedom from Judgment – all who visit our office shall be accepted as they are

Freedom to Choose – all who visit our office shall be given the opportunity to discuss their personal values, needs and goals, the opportunity to learn about their present condition, and the opportunity to explore options to create their preferred future.  These are the keys to making a free and well-informed choice.

Freedom to Trust – All who visit our office shall find comfort in knowing that they will be seeing the same dentist at every visit.  This dentist shall be someone that works to make himself worthy of trust, that serves as a personal advisor and advocate first and a provider of dental care second.

Freedom to ask “Why” – All who visit our office shall have the opportunity to understand not only what is happening in their mouth and what they can do about it, but also the opportunity to learn WHY it is happening.  To understand the causes of disease gives each person the power to prevent it from worsening or recurring.

Freedom from Fear– All who visit our office shall find comfort as well as the opportunity to discuss their fears from the past and fears for the future.  To understand and be sensitive to these fears is to aid in their resolution.

Freedom from Dental Problems – All who visit our office shall be given the opportunity to design a path toward freedom from the worry of recurring dental problems, and shall receive the continuous support needed to help them get there.

What if you had the Freedom to Choose what you wanted for your future and were not dependent on anyone else to decide for you?  Perhaps you would choose a different path than the one that you are on.

The key to having the freedom to choose is AWARENESS.  If you are aware of your VOICE (preferences, values, fears, desires, influence of your past experiences) then you are off to a good start.  But, on your own, it is difficult for you to see your current condition and where you are headed. 

That’s where we come in.  We can help you to better understand where you have been, where you are now, and where you are going.  Then you can decide if this is, indeed, where you want to go and make a CHOICE to change your course.  That is, instead of taking a reactive approach to your care, you can choose to create something better.

We believe that the greatest service that we can possibly provide to you is simply the Freedom to make a well-informed Choice about what you want for your future and the support to help you get there.

What do you want from your dental care?  I mean what do you REALLY want?  If you are like most people, you have never allowed yourself the freedom to consider that you have a VOICE.  In most dental offices, the patients depend on the dentist and a 6-minute exam to determine what needs to be fixed.  What’s tragic is that your only voice in this scenario is to say Yes or No.  Maybe you don’t want to be fixed!  Maybe deep down you sense that there is a better way.

So, what if you were allowed the freedom to voice your preferences, your values, your fears, your desires and hopes for the future?  What would happen?  I know what happens, because I see it in our office everyday.  You would become empowered.  You would become free to chart your own course, instead of having it determined for you.  You would build a relationship with the dentist and the dental team that you could not possibly find anywhere else.  Because, they would see YOU and not just a set of teeth.

As dentists, when we focus only on what’s wrong and how we can fix it, we miss an opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our patients.  We cannot just ignore everything below the surface and expect people to reach the goals or outcomes that are most desirable to them.

From the very first phone call to our office, you have a VOICE.  You are never a set of teeth.  We care more about what you want for your future then we do about what we think you should do.  Its YOUR Voice, its YOUR Choice, YOUR Direction, and YOUR Path.  We are here to help you find them and assist you every step of the way.