The Dental Desk - Issue #5 : simplebooklet.com

It seems we continue to run into one issue after another these days. Justwhen you think the pandemic is headed back to normal we are hit withanother wave, another variant taking staff and patients down, leading toincreasing costs and job vacancies. As a fellow owner of a business, I getthis. The basic rule that Benjamin Franklin left us with still applies - maybemore than ever now; “If You Fail to Plan, You Are Planning to Fail.”We have had the luxury of, what I would call, coasting through the goodyears, which has left us all a bit complacent. We just need to recognize thatthese are different times and we need to change our approach, or thesituation will change us. We all need to get back to planning more toensure our success in the future is stronger. With increasing costs, wehave to consider where we can cut costs without compromising ourbusiness. With Staffing issues, we need to spend more time understandingwhat motivates our team and why they stay with us. This is truly a timewhere if you aren’t moving forward you are indeed moving backwards.Over the last 18 months, we have seen more cases of low return oninvestment numbers (or bottom-line profit as we commonly refer to it). Just a reminder to check your revenue and expenses to ensure that yourhard-earned money is being put to good use and generating a profit. Thiswill also keep the value of your asset (your practice) in good shape for yourretirement - as for most of us, the sale of our business is one of the biggestassets we forget to count into our investment portfolio. If you aren’t 100%sure what your bottom line is, we can help do your annual checkup and showyou how to check your profit each year going forward. Page 14 - Measuring Success: What Does A Healthy Business Look LikePage 7 - Competition: Who's Really Getting Inyour WayPage 20 - Chart Audits: Why Are They Important & What They RevealCEO's MessageTurbulent times call for a reset and a double check. When is"normal" back to normal?Looking For Featured Practice Listings?www.AvailDentalAdvice.comTHE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 2Founder, CEOAvail Dental Exit Advisory ServicesD A R R E N S H A N A H A NAvail Dental has been a trustedresource in the dental industry since 2012.CLICK HERE

Page 3

Page 4

Page 5

Over the last several months we’ve been receiving some questions from the dentalcommunity. Our experience in brokering and appraising hundreds and hundreds ofpractices has made us a natural place for professionals to turn with theirquestions. We realized that several people had the same questions and so wethought this might make a great forum for people to ask their questionsanonymously and receive their answers. Therefore, ‘Ask the Expert’ was created.Please feel free to send us an email with your questions toDarren@AvailDentalAdvice.com.Q: I’m looking at doing a start-up in an area that is not yetdeveloped. Do you have some suggestions for things I should lookat before making this commitment?A: Start-ups, in general, can be tricky under the best ofcircumstances. Start-ups in areas that are yet-to-be, or are in theearly stages of development are especially tricky. The key thing isalways the number of patients per dentist that are expected to becoming into the area. The only way to find this out is to do a deepdive into city plans and demographics, and take into considerationthe number of dentists already in the area. Most urban centrewebsites will have information pertaining to population anddevelopment. This is the most important and best place to start.Remember that you will need at least 1200 to 1500 active patients,in the first 2 years, to make your start-up viable. Q: How much should I be spending on advertising?A: The answer to this question can vary quite a bit. If you are amature practice, not looking to expand hours, not looking foradditional patients you can obviously get away with very little (if youhave a thriving hygiene program). If you are a practice looking togrow from 1m to 3m, and you want to do it quickly - you may need toinvest 100-150k in different types of marketing in order to attractenough new patients. Continued on next page...CANDID COMMENTARY ON PRACTICE VALUATIONASK THE EXPERTThe "COVID Effect" On Your Practice:Call Us To Learn More.In order to prepare for the future,In order to prepare for the future, you must consider the past.you must consider the past. We can help.We can help. 1-866-Go-Avail1-866-Go-Avail ((1-866-462-82451-866-462-8245))THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 5

Page 6

The bottom line is that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to thisquestion. There are many factors to consider. I recommendspeaking with someone that can look at your entire financialsituation, production reports and future plans. An advertising plancan be developed based on these and other factors. That said, theaverage spend is between 1-2% of gross income in a mature, stablepractice.Q: Should I have new staff contracts done before selling?A: If you currently use contracts and you have some staff that havenot currently signed, then you should make sure that all of your staffhave signed contracts. However, to just blanket request all staff tosign new contracts, you could raise suspicion from your staff aboutthe possibility of an upcoming sale. Sadly, many owners still do nothave written contracts for staff which leaves them vulnerable. I willaddress this question more in-depth in an upcoming article aboutstaffing and contracts.THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 6ASK THE EXPERT CON'T:Have a confidential question?Have a confidential question?Email Darren:Email Darren:Darren@AvailDentalAdvice.comDarren@AvailDentalAdvice.com Q: How long should I hire a consultantfor?A: Depending on the intricacy of whyyou’re hiring a consultant, it can rangefrom 6 months to 3 years. You don’twant to inadvertently turn yourcontractor into a permanent staff cost,but you do need to allow yourconsultant the time to address theproblem. You can’t expect aconsultant to fix things in a week but itshouldn’t take years to address theproblems either. A general rule that Ipersonally use, is that the consultantshould either be saving me or makingfor me the amount of money they arecosting me - or they should be solvinga short-term problem that I can’t solveon my own.

Page 7

I know this because many of thesequestions have been asked of meafter my patient has received theirdiagnosis. Fiction versus RealityThe reality is it takes time to makea decision. There are many stepsinvolved. It’s fictional for us toexpect that we start a patient at9am and by 10am they have made aclear and well thought out decisionto proceed with dental treatment. Ifthere is minor decay diagnosed, thepatient has had fillings before, theyhave room on their insurance (orthey’re not concerned about theirinsurance), they trust us AND theirlast experience was a good one…they will likely schedule theappointment. If any of thesefactors are not in play, they mightnot. Remember, this was a patientarriving to their routine dentalhygiene appointment expectingnothing out of the ordinary. Nowthey’ve heard differently. Whathappens next? BY MITCH PETERS, RDHWhat, or who, is our truecompetition in dentistry? Is it thedentist down the street or thedentists in your town? Would youconsider that your true competitionis the many facets of your patients’lives demanding their time,attention and money? If a patient isin pain, or is actively seeking dentaltreatment, dentistry may beincluded in the demands. The truthis it’s likely low on the list. It’s ourjob as dental professionals tochange this. How Do We Do This?The answer begins with thepatient’s first contact with yourpractice and ends long after thetreatment is completed. Everypositive experience moves themclose to dental treatment, and everynegative experience moves themfurther away. A high rate oftreatment acceptance is achievablefor any dental practice when theentire team is committed. What They Expect…and What TheyGetMost patients expect their dentalhygiene appointment to be routineand predictable. Hearing that theyhave an unexpected diagnosis canbe unnerving and stressful. Formany reasons. Will it start hurting?Will it be expensive to fix? Will myinsurance cover it? Will I need totake time off work? What’s the bestway to fix it? How long will therepair last? Should I just leave it andhope for the best? Will my spousebe upset that this could costmoney? How could I let thishappen? Why didn’t I take bettercare of my teeth? Tonight I’m goingto start flossing. Is that sugar-freedrink really sugar-free? I’m an adult,I shouldn’t have let this happen. While this list may seem dramaticpresented in this format, the truth isthat one or many of thesequestions are running through apatient’s mind. THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 7

Page 8

It can be complicated. They must accept that a problem exists, they must be open to fixing the problem, andthey must be open to accepting our recommendation for fixing the problem. Some patients may go throughthis process quickly, others may not. What Can We Do? I’ve been an RDH for over 30 years and I learned something very important early in my career, It is my job tohelp a patient choose dentistry designed to improve their health, it’s not my job to teach them how to do thedentistry. I have listened to countless conversations over the years where the most well intended dentist, in aneffort to fully inform their patient, is teaching them how to do a crown prep. We get too technical and forgetthat all the patient wants to hear is ‘which option will provide me the most benefit.’We must focus on what is important to the patient and tailor our recommendations accordingly. This topicalone could fill pages.We must honour where they are starting from. Embarrassed, nervous, confused and overwhelmed are typicalstarting places for our patients. Remember that doing a #46O is easy for you…’easy’ might not be the word apatient who has never had local anesthetic would use! We must use our technology, experience and education to show our patients what is existing and what ispossible. The word ‘show’ is important to pay attention to. Less talking and more showing leads to greatertreatment acceptance every time.What’s NextA patient may feel ready to make a decision about treatment shortly after learning they have a conditionrequiring repair. Some will not be ready. They may have a spouse to check in with, a dental plan to investigate,some research to do…their process is their process. It is our job to come alongside and make the processeasier. Follow-up is critical. If we don’t stay in touch with our patients after their appointment the long list ofdemands takes over and their dental treatment falls farther down the list. The good news is that by following aproven formula for case acceptance you can achieve a successful practice with healthy patients.Stay tuned to learn more about the process of effective case presentations, including the role of each teammember, the language to use and the flow of the appointment. Reach out to Mitch and Chantelle at Tayden Consulting with any questions. info@taydenconsulting.com

Page 9

Page 10

YESTERDAYCelebrating 10 years (& More) of AVAIL!In just a few weeks, Avail will be starting our 11th yearin business. Our 10th anniversary has been a greattime of looking to the future and reminiscing about thepast. I have been thinking, a lot, about how this allbegan - a story I rarely share but that keeps meinspired to keep growing.I remember that day, twelve years ago, vividly. It was awarm late-September day - the kind that has youbasking in summer memories except for the slight chillin the air that reminds you of the impending autumndays ahead. There was a light breeze that moved alongthe puffy white clouds which dotted the vivid blue sky.My good friend sat across from me at the Starbuckstable, his black coffee steaming up from the cup. Thesmell of roasted coffee beans wafted around the shoplike the indiscernible chatter of the coffee shoppatrons. My friend sat quietly, patiently listening to meunload the frustration I was feeling as I anxiouslysipped on my mocha Frappuccino.I was working for RBC, in their health care division, atthe time and I was trying to help a client securefinancing for a dental clinic purchase. The work wasbusy, and challenging. I had become entrenched with agroup of professionals for whom I have great respectand admiration, the dental community. I use the word‘entrenched’ because I often felt that I was in the‘trenches’ fighting to help my clients when it shouldhave been a clearer and easier path.“Why” I queried?“Why can’t someone provide an appraisal that is clearand concise? Why does it have to be so hard for aclient to get accurate information, in a timely fashion,with numbers that financial institutions actually need”?I took another frustrated sip from my drink and staredout at the street looking for an answer. I was tired ofstruggling through another appraisal that was heavy-loaded with ‘fluff’ but not enough real substance tomotivate our risk managers to approve a loan. I felt bad for the dental professionals that had paidconsiderable money for a document that was seeminglyfailing to help secure lending from a bank, and I wasbaffled by brokers who took weeks to respond totheir clients, or their client’s advisors which oftenresulted in deals going off the rails.I looked out at the traffic stopped at a red light whenit felt like there was pause in the chatter and a hushfell over the coffee shop. My friend gently placed hiscoffee cup onto the table, folded his hands in frontof him and looked me straight in the eye. The words my friend was about to speak, would bethe words that would change my life. He said,‘Darren, you are a hard worker and an honest guy.You are not a complainer - so let me ask you this;Why don’t you put your money where your mouth is?Why don’t you start your own brokerage firm and bepart of the solution?” Then he sat back, an impishgrin on his face like a little kid who had just daredhis friend to do something brave and adventurous.For a brief moment I was shocked by his candor, butthis is a man I trusted implicitly and admired for hisbusiness prowess (among many other traits). He wasright. Had he glimpsed in the corner of my mindwhere this entrepreneurial dream was percolating? Orwas he simply perceptive enough to know that thesestraight-forward questions were just the thing Ineeded to move my dream forward. It was the latter.It took almost two years for me to complete thequalifications to become a broker and put the piecesin place to launch this business, but that late-September day in 2009 became the catalyst for thisdream to become a reality. My wise and amazingfriend has encouraged me every step of the way, andhe has watched me build a business I am very proudof. Without those bold and daring words on thatbeautiful autumn day, I may never have had the nerveto create a superior product, that is widelyrespected, and which has become part of thesolution for providing better service for, both, themedical and dental communities.THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 10

Page 11

Celebrating 10 years More of AVAIL TODAY It s been 10 years since I along with my wife and Jen Larocque was the first staff member we hired business partner opened Avail Dental Exit Advisory We had known Jen for several years before she Services Inc I remember the fear and the exhilaration joined our team Jen is a wiz at financial analysis that came with leaving my professional career with and she is always looking for ways to improve our RBC appraisals and products She strives to ensure we a company endeavours that supported professional growth and whose work culture helped me we can provide timely and accurate services In to friendships And I for educational have the most cutting edge technological support so life long room my and cultivate provided professional remember the personal and personal addition to this Jen is a ray of sunshine who fear and the brightens up everything she touches She is a exhilaration of opening the business hoping and dedicated wife and mother and she is a friend to all praying that we could succeed and support our family who know her and build something of substance and integrity Logan Reynolds was the next addition to our team That September day in 2011 we officially opened Avail Logan came to us at the recommendation of Jen with our newly designed home office modern letter and that glowing recommendation was absolutely head and a personal cell phone that overnight became accurate Logan has provided appraisal support and the hub of workplace It s been said that entrepreneurs financial analysis support for several years now As must have lofty dreams feet on the ground and rock our business grew Logan has been a key part of solid stomachs Well I m not afraid to share that I ensuring we are able to provide timely service Logan probably should have bought shares in Tums that first is also the catalyst behind advancing our marketing year because Tums helped to get me through 365 to include social media platforms She is bright and days of gut checks hard working loyal and the best dog Mom to her labra doodle Remi When we began my wife and I ran the business Yvette was my assistant with all of the office work and And then came Sherri Beauchamp from Gratitude marketing work and I was the face of the business Consulting Not only has Sherri helped us with our daily working to get my name out there in a new way website marketing online presence and social media and share our 2 products appraisals and brokerage marketing but Sherri has also helped us to create services There were definitely struggles and times this magazine which we are very proud of In when I wondered if I could make this work but each addition to her marketing genius Sherri is also a new client helped me to build the foundation of this dedicated wife business I am forever grateful for each client that volunteer and puts their faith in me and helps me find new and better wonderful person The world is a better place ways to serve this community because Sherri is part of it and our business is and mother philanthropist community and an leader all around better too because of Sherri Over the last 10 years we have built up our offering of services customizing everything to each of our client s We began having more and more interest from other needs We now offer appraisals letters of opinion groups financial analysis benchmark reviews full brokerage chiropractors massage therapists and more were for sale by owner DSO Corporate sale packages seeking out our services We were happy to adjust consulting seminars and much more We are not afraid our offerings to include these specialties in the medical fields optometrists to roll up our sleeves and find a way to customize our products to fit each client s unique needs Which has The last couple of years we have experienced the led to the growth of our staff as well largest growth in our business At any given time we

Page 12

usually have 10-15 sales on the go (private andpublic) and over a year we process roughly 200appraisals, letters opinion, etc. We recently added another staff member, MorganMinkus, in the role of listing assistant. Morgantakes care of registering buyers for our buyer’slist and alerting that list of upcoming saleopportunities. Morgan is another dynamic teammember, currently cross training to cover holidaysfor Jen or Logan to ensure uninterrupted servicefor our clients. Morgan is a bright and witty co-worker, a wonderful mother, wife and a greatfriend.Another extremely proud moment came when wepartnered up with the incomparable Lori Williamfrom Strategix. Lori was searching for a way toprovide expanded services to her large base oforthodontic clients, and we were searching for away to provide more in-depth service to ourorthodontic clients. It was a natural fit and we aredelighted to have Lori represent Avail as ournational ortho rep. Lori is an incredible businesswoman whom we have tremendous respect andadmiration for. Lori is one of the hardest workingpeople we know. She is a role model, wife, motherand all around amazing person.Our coverage area continues to grow and expandand we have added Avail reps in Edmonton andSaskatchewan in an effort to meet the growingdemands. Jessie McCracken, Andrew Jones andSara Trenn represent our northern Albertaterritory. This cracker-jack team of professionalsare warm, personable and eager to help. Theyprovide service to Edmonton and the surroundingareas in an extremely timely fashion. We couldnot do this without them.Our Saskatchewan reps are Angi McGarry(covering Regina and the southern territory) andLéo Morrison (covering Saskatoon and thenorthern territory). Angi and Léo are life-longSaskatchewan residents. They love the land, thepeople - and they love the Riders! They arefriendly and motivated and happy to help. Weare grateful to have them on our team.The growth of Avail over the past 10 years hasbeen a dream come true. There are times whenYvette and I stand back and look at our labourof love. We are firm believers that the rightpeople come into your life at the right time, andwe are so proud of the team we have assembledand of the service we provide. This growingteam has allowed me to maintain a personal andhands-on approach with every single availclient. The work and support of this team allowsme to answer the calls that come in and respondto people in a timely manner.To say that I (we) are grateful would be a hugeunderstatement. Avail, today, is the realizationof a beautiful dream and a lot of hard work anddedication.THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 12TODAY CONTINUEDCelebrating 10 years (& More) of AVAIL!

Page 13

Celebrating 10 years More of AVAIL TOMORROW Yvette will often ask me if this what I envisioned when I m struck by how similar this day in 2022 is to that we opened Avail 10 years ago In many ways this is a September day in 2009 This time as I stare out at my very complex question to answer peaceful surroundings there is no frustration there is only inspiration I still see my friend s impish grin The my daring me on and I well up with pride Oh yes we expectations in so many ways Twelve years ago on Avail we know today has exceeded continue to move forward Why just next month we ll that September day in Starbucks the only clear vision I be announcing our newest rep for the territory of had was a better way to help my clients I just knew British Columbia and shortly after that we ll be that I could stream line the process and remove a great introducing our new Manitoba rep stress for them and that truly was my goal I m excited inspired motivated and honestly looking I told my friend who encourage me to start this forward to where these next 10 years will take us business that my main goals were to provide a clear and concise appraisal and to answer the phone be Staring out on this gorgeous summer day I just can t responsive in a very timely manner As the business help but smile and think the future s so bight I gotta has grown and expanded those goals remain the wear shades foundation of what we do here at Avail So I guess the answer to Yvette s question is yes this is what I envisioned However I m not sure that all those years ago I could have imagined the wide variety Have a confidential question of work we do or the amazing team we have assembled so far And the great thing about what I envisioned is that I continue to envision what Avail can become Our recently redesigned home office is not a home office at all but rather is the headquarters of Avail Dental Exit Advisory Services Inc I m still dreaming and working to make those dreams a reality So today Yvette and I are working on our back deck and soaking up the last days of August The air is lighter today a much needed relief from the humid heat we had been experiencing The sky is a dreamy blue with splashes of whispy white clouds dancing across the sky The warm August sun is smiling down on us as we sit under the shade of our gazebo Yvette who loves to follow what the weather is doing tells me about the long range forecast and casually mentions that we should do a long range forecast for Avail s next ten years I admit her words have ignited another spark in me THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE 13 Email Darren Darren AvailDentalAdvice com

Page 14

and values, perhaps is it time tomake some tough decisions for theoverall health of the team. Having an all-star team leads togreater creativity, more innovationand better performance overall.Your patient’s wellbeing and yourbottom line will improvesignificantly when your teammembers function at theirindividual and collective best. 3. SystemsSystems and infrastructure arewhat helps to increase yourrevenue stream strategically andconsistently—ultimately makingyour practice more valuable. Documentation of the step-by-stepprocess for everything that you doand have implemented in yourpractice, is crucial. With the challenge of turnover ofteam members, your systems willbecome invaluable for training newteam members, and it ensures that BY CORRINE MARKIn today’s dental market, weunderstand the unique challengesyou face in the increasinglysophisticated and competitiveworld of dentistry. Now, more thanever, it is vital to have your fingeron the pulse and health of yourbusiness rather than flying blindlyby the seat of your pants andhoping for results.There are a few key elements intoensuring your practice is healthyand thriving. So where should youstart? 1. LeadershipIt is hard to be the visionary thatsets the strategic direction for thepractice, the manager of a thrivingbusiness, the leader in servicesdelivery, and a great peoplemanager… all in the same day…every day!Being a leader is not always easyand it doesn’t always come naturally. It takes time to developyour skills UNTIL it becomesnatural. Every great athlete needs acoach to be their best, why do weassume we are any different?Theleader that you decide to be willinspire your team to do the thingsthey never thought they could! 2. Team CultureYou should have an all-star teamthat is excited to come to workevery day and supports you toachieve your practice goals. If you have a loyal dynamic teamalready, give yourself a pat on theback! Ensure that you continue toencourage their growth anddevelopment to retain them. It is a definite struggle to attracttop talent and it will take creativeavenues to find and trainindividuals. If you have any teammembers that are a currentdistraction to your business and arenot in alignment with your vision THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 14

Page 15

you are not dependant on the one employee who doesn’t share their resources and is the knowledge hoarder. 4. MetricsYou may consider yourself to be business savvy and can’t wait to review the results each month. Monthly monitoring andmeasurement of your key performance indictors is crucial for making timely decisions, and it will help to reach or exceedyour production projections and goals. It’s too late to make any adjustments that will impact your bottom line if you areonly looking at your financial statements at the end of the year. Measurement is the ultimate key to your success!5. Marketing and Acquiring New PatientsToday, more than ever, one of our greatest challenges is the increase in competition. You need to protect and enhanceyour competitive edge by becoming the dentist and/or specialist of choice! Increase your patient satisfaction and createunshakable long-term loyalty—turn your patients into avid cheerleaders who refer others. You must have an active presence on social media to be relevant, to reach new patients, maintain contact with our activepatients and reconnect with the ones that haven’t seen you since Covid. Ensure you are consistent with your brand andhave a relevant message or call to action! New patients naturally equal an increase in productivity!6.Reach out for consulting, coaching and supportIt is important to understand the current health of your business and the opportunities to be the best. Our team ofconsultants specializes in implementation of systems, provide specific metrics, assist with HR and recruitment, andprovide hands on training and support to ensure your practice is healthy and generating the results you expect. More thanjust providing theory, we help you manage the transformation of your people and processes so that you enjoy permanentand lasting results. If you are ready to ramp up your business, our goal is to help reduce your stress so you can enjoy more of the life balanceyou deserve and have worked so hard to achieve. We look forward to supporting the health and success of your business!Today’s Strategies…. Tomorrows Results!MEASURING THE HEALTH OF YOUR PRACTICE CON'TCorinne Mark is a partner at Strategix and works with all dental and specialty practices. Her experience in dental gives her the ability to quickly identify the challenges and opportunities within your practice and implement strategies for your business growth and success!Questions? Call Corinne Mark (Partner, Strategix Consulting)Cell: 778.257.3636

Page 16

Page 17

Page 18

Page 19

Page 20

patients, to get a sense of the recallprocess in the practice, and thereforethe active patient base. We would like to see that the activepatient base are patients coming infor regular hygiene cleaning and acheck up thereby being open tohaving work done when it’sidentified. The percentage of hygieneproduction in the practice is often anindicator as well. We see ruralpractices around 20% and urbanpractices in a range from 25-30%.The higher the number, the greaterthe likelihood is that the activepatient count is higher as well.However, this can be an indicationthat the doctor is very conservativein their approach. At the end of theday whether it is 800 chartsproducing $1,200,000 or 1500 charts,you need to understand how that ContinuedDARREN SHANAHANMany folks think a chart audit endsat counting the number of activecharts and trying to determine if itmatches up with what was listed inthe appraisal. The chart audit servesmany purposes so this article will begood for buyers and sellers equally,as it will show each party what eachparty is, or should be, looking for.This will help sellers prepare for theeventual sale of their practice andnew buyers determine if that practiceis right for them. For a seller, you want to prepare yourpractice and keep your active patientlist current. Each dental practicesoftware tracks patients differently.This means you need to understandyour software and whether it tracksactive patients automatically or if itis something your team needs to doby changing the status of a patient. The latter is much more workbecause if you never ‘deactivate’ apatient you could end up with yoursoftware showing 12000 activepatients which obviously won’tmatch up to the production. Whenthis happens it will make your saleharder as the buyer will have to digdeeper, causing them to pause andquestion if the practice is worth itsince it will be difficult to determinethe active patient base. When weprepare a practice for sale we workthrough this with a seller so this is asclean and clear as possible as it willhelp move the sale process alongquicker. If you can do this along theway it will make this easier when thetime comes to sell. For buyers, this part of the duediligence goes far beyond the countof active patients and what does anactive patient mean? Typically wewant to count active hygiene THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 20

Page 21

active patient base produces that revenue consistently. The reason for the wide range can be found in the nextparagraph.After a buyer looks at the charts to make sure there are enough active patients to make it work for their style ofdentistry, they need to look at the schedule and see how the patients are booked. The question the buyer has to askthemselves is “can I do this work in the time the patient has been scheduled in the past?” This is a two part issue for a buyer. 1) Can you perform the work being done? For example, if there are 85 implantsplaced over the year, can you do this work? If the answer is ‘NO’ then, how will you keep this work in house or replacethe lost revenue? Also, If you have placed implants, have you ever done that many implants? This is a bit of an extremeexample, I know. However, this is a real case we have seen and it made it challenging to find a buyer, as most dentistshave never placed that many implants in a year. This is also true of other specialities in the practice such as Ortho,Surgery and Cosmetics. If the practice is more bread and butter dentistry, and you can do the work, then question number two comes up. 2) Canyou do the work at the speed in which it is currently being done? For example, some doctors use only one chair andsome doctors dovetail between 2 or 3 chairs quite effectively and have perfected this over the years - and the staffknow how to book based on the doctor’s ability. If you look back at your own schedule and it looks a lot different thanwhat is being done in the practice, you have to again ask yourself how will you get the same amount of work done in thesame time frame? We have seen extreme cases where one doctor produces $1.7M. Finding a buyer to replace thismight require two dentists and more staff. This is the kind if detail required a chart audit that most people miss while looking excitedly at an opportunity to own apractice. In the end, if you can’t do the speed of the procedures then you have to look at how you will replace thatrevenue. If you have an answer, then you can proceed. If you can do the procedures or add more procedures at thesame rate or faster, then you are in good shape to replicate the revenue, or even increase it, regardless of 800 or 1200active patients.For sellers and buyers alike, the process is complex and planning for it or understanding what you are buying can bedifficult. So, as you can see this is a dynamic topic which covers a range of things to consider. These are just some ofthings to consider. We see hundreds of these chart audits each year and we can help you truly understand the nuancesof what you are ‘planning for’ or ‘looking for’ on both sides of the transition. CHART AUDITS: WHY ARE THEY IMPORTANT & WHAT THEY REVEALTHE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 21

Page 22

•Back stretch: Lie with your backon the floor, bring your knees up toyour chest until you feel a stretch inyour lower back. Hold this for threedeep breaths.These are just a few stretches thatmay make a difference to your workrelated muscle pain. For more in-depth information it would beworthwhile to research additionaldental-specific stretches andexercise, or chair-side stretches.You may also want to speak withyour supply reps about the latestergonomic products available foryour dental office.In addition to stretching, rememberto drink plenty of water, get goodrestful sleep and practice self-care.You’re worth it!YVETTE SHANAHANSelf-care for dental professionals.Five Stretches to help relive pain.We all know the importance ofstretching. We know theimportance of warming up ourmuscles before working out, andcooling down our muscles postworkout. Yet, many of us forget theimportance of stretching ourmuscles for our work. Whetherwe’re sitting or standing at acomputer, or we’re engaged inrepetitive physical tasks, workrelated muscle strains andrepetitive stress injuries plague thework force.What most of us don’t realize isthat we should be stretchingthroughout the entire day.Especially if our jobs require us tobe straining our necks, shouldersand backs for extended periods oftime.Dental professionals oftenexperience muscle aches and painsrelated to their work. While stretching alone won’tentirely eliminate injury, it may bebeneficial to feeling better overalland reducing those pesky ‘pains inthe neck’! The following are 5 simple stretchesyou can incorporate into your workday:•Neck stretch: Gently pull yourhead towards your shoulder andhold for three deep breaths. Then,repeat this on the other side.•Hip stretch: Lie with your back onthe floor, cross your ankle over yourknee and pull your legs towardsyour chest, holding for three deepbreaths. Then, repeat this on theother side.•Spinal twist: Sit cross-legged onthe floor and gently twist to oneside. Hold this for three deepbreaths, then twist to the other sideand repeat.•Child’s Pose: You don’t have to bea yoga expert to try this stretch.•Lie facedown with your kneestucked under you and your armsextended in front of you, palmsdown on the floor. You should feela stretch from your shoulders downto your lower back. Hold thisposition for three deep breaths.THE DENTAL DESK MAGAZINE  | 22

Page 23

Page 24

YOUR TRUSTED INDUSTRY PARTNERDid you know that for over 2 decades, our Founder, Darren Shanahan, has been in thedental industry as the "go-to" for other industry professionals and leaders? Every phone call that comes into our office is about a dental or healthcare clinic. We don't work in any other industry.We provide owners with a "firewall" to protect them from all of the pitfalls we know are out there throughout a transaction because we know how to prepare the deal and navigate the waters. We're here for you.Meet Our TeamDarren ShanahanCEO & FounderYvette ShanahanCo-FounderLogan ReynoldsTransaction SpecialistJennifer LarocqueTransaction ManagerMorgan MinkusTransaction SpecialistQuestions?Call 1-866-Go-Avail (1-866-462-8245) orvisit: AvailDentalAdvice.com

The Dental Desk - Issue #5

Page 1

Page 2