What I Learned In My First Year of Being an Associate Doctor

After the completion of residency, we have a couple options: Practice ownership or associateship. I am one of those that chose the latter. My goal was to gain a few years of experience before taking the plunge into being "the boss" and just like with anything else I learned some valuable lessons along the way. Here are a few:

1. Fully understand your contractual obligations before signing

This is one of the most important parts of starting your new associateship. It sets the tone for the next year+ of your professional life. The contract is a legally binding agreement so do your due diligence and ensure the terms are mutually beneficial.  Have an attorney read through it before signing. This is very important! If there's something that you do not agree with, do not sign. (More on contracts in a subsequent post). 

2. Patient first! Despite any circumstance

 You are the doctor and your duty is to your patients! If anything disrupts patient care, it should be discussed with your employer.  Employers hire associates for various reasons. Those reasons could range from the employer slowing down/phasing out or simply to grow the practice. In situations of growing the practice, make sure there is a healthy balance between increased patient load and quality of care. If you feel the volume of patients is preventing you from offering the best quality of care to your patients don't be afraid to discuss it with your employer. Ultimately your license is at stake. Patients first.

3. Have and keep a good rapport with the staff and other doctor(s), but do not fraternize.

Remain professional. You are in a professional environment and should act accordingly at all times. Be courteous and friendly but not too friendly. There is a level of respect that you first will have to earn and then maintain. Being too friendly and/or fraternizing can send the wrong message and opens the floor up for disrespect. Do not allow it. Conversely, you may not always like everyone, but you certainly should make an effort to "get along" with everyone. Trust me, it makes life less stressful and the days go by faster.  Your staff can be your biggest asset when they are fully invested in the practice. They are human beings with lives outside of the office too. Some things that really go a long way are remembering birthdays and  anniversaries, treating the staff to breakfast or lunch on occasion, giving gifts at christmas, etc. Those little things can go a long way toward a healthy work environment. Keep it light, keep it fun but keep it professional.

4. Be nice, but be firm.

Be respectful, kind and courteous but also maintain boundaries. Keep in mind that you are not the boss, you are an associate and some staff members will try to push their limit, do not allow this. On the contrary being mean can destroy your relationships with staff and sometimes the patients. You have your reputation to uphold so protect it!!

5. Learn to say NO.

Those words should be utilized in life and in the workplace.  If you are uncomfortable with something it is your duty as a practitioner to speak up.  There is a tendency for some employers to push to see how much they can get out of you. As young professionals we want to look good to our employers but know your limits and exercise them. The lesson to be learned here is Your license is at stake. 

The UnOrthoDoc's 2017 Holiday Gift Guide

It's the most wonderful time of the year! I love the holiday season and all it's festivities. The holidays mean family time, eating, shopping, gift giving and receiving, parades, holiday parties, cozying up in front of the fire place with hot chocolate in hand and staying in PJ's all day. It truly is magical!

The one thing that I have a love/hate relationship with is gift giving. I love to get (and receive) gifts but it can tend to be a bit expensive and exhausting. So I've done a little digging and put together a gift guide with some of my personal favorite things this year, in hopes that it will make your shopping less of a hassle. You will find gifts for him, her and even your staff/co-workers below.

1. Rose Gold Hard Laptop Case

2. Anthropologie Monogrammed Mugs

3. Baublebar Tassel Earrings Use Code YAY30 for 30% off

4. Rockland Luggage ON SALE*

5. Passion Planner

6. UnOrthoDoc Candles Inquire Via Email

7. Love Knot Rose Gold Bracelet

1. Apple Watch Band

2. Ceramic Pencil Holder

3. Chunky Fringe Scarf

4. Ground Cord Taco

5. JCrew Passport Case

6. Leopard iPhone Case

7. Swell Water Bottle

1. The Art of Shaving Kit

2. Moscow Mule Copper Mugs

3. Heys Xtrac 3pc. Luggage ON SALE*

4. Ray Ban Aviator Sunglasses

5. JCrew Pajama Set

6. Ground Tech Dopp Kit

7. JCrew Cufflinks

Happy Shopping and Happy Holidays!

The Benefits of Great Dental Photography

Photography is an invaluable, integral and necessary part of dentistry, especially Orthodontics. With the advent and widespread use of digital technology in our practices, imaging has become essential, much easier to incorporate and much more readily accessible.

My favorite new Toy: Canon Rebel SL2

There are various benefits of great photography in the dental practice and reasons everyone should be taking advantage of this wonderfully simple technology:  

1. Diagnosis and Treatment Planning

Intraoral photographs (and sometimes extraoral) are an important and in some areas of dentistry an integral part of patient records. It helps in completing the "entire picture" of a case. They enable the dental practitioner to get an in-depth look of the dentition, soft tissues and the facial structures to address any disharmony. Imaging aids in proper diagnosis and treatment planning.

2. Patient Education and Communication

The old adage is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. How many times have you tried to explain to a patient something about occlusion by using your hands? - placing one hand over the other to represent the jaws? In comparison, in showing them photographs any scenario can be easily and simply explained. 

3. Consultation/Referral to Specialists

It is typical for an Orthodontist to send radiographs in addition to photographs when transferring a case to another Orthodontist. However, it is not typical among the other specialties in dentistry. Photographs add an entirely new dimension to our reports when we send them to our colleagues.  Taking Oral pathology for example, a picture of a soft tissue lesion can enable the pathologist to brainstorm differentials without having the patient in the office.

4. Marketing and Advertising

It is no doubt that beautiful, clear and detailed photographs are eye catching and shows a superior level of professionalism to potential new patients. The quality of your photographs, when placed on your website and/or on your social media pages is your first impression and tells a lot about you and your practice. 

5. Legal Documentation

Our records (including photographs) are legal documents. They can come in handy if (God forbid) theres a malpractice lawsuit or the like. 

6. Self Improvement and Education

We as dentist always strive to improve our skill set. We are lifelong learners and always looking for opportunities to learn, enhance and grow as practitioners.  We can use our photographs to document cases and assess areas that need improving or we can even use it for education purposes among our peers. 

Tech Talk: Practice Advancement

We are most certainly in the technological age and it seems to be moving at lightning speed. How do we keep up?! The dilemma many of us face in our practices is deciding which technology is worth purchasing and will yield the best return on investment (ROI).

We want to keep up with technology to ensure we are providing the best quality care and treatment options for our patients. Moreover, the implementation of technology in our practices (if used to its full potential) enables us to be more efficient and thus increases our potential for growth. These things set our practices apart and make us unique and "more cool" (because c'mon, we are in the information age and we are marketing to millennials). Technology, although it can get pricey, is an excellent way to achieve the growth and marketability that will keep our staff and patients engaged. 

A simple example would be the smart watch. You certainly don't need a smart watch and if you get it just to check the time then you would be missing out on it's many capabilities. A smart watch integrates apps, monitors heart rate, doubles as a fitness tracker, reminds you when you need to stand or breathe, sends/receives messages and phone calls, serves as your personal assistant with voice command and can even be integrated in your dental practice for efficiency.

Liken the smart watch to any other piece of technology you get for your practice. You have to explore it's many capabilities to reap the benefits that it can afford you.

As providers we can incorporate different forms of technology into our practices to stimulate growth. Several are listed below:

 Intraoral Scanners 

Cone Beam CT

3D Printing

Aligner Therapy

In the end, it's up to you to explore the different options to see what would be most beneficial to your practice.  There are many things to take into consideration when contemplating the purchase of new equipment. No matter where your practice is located, the demographics, or even office culture, technology can be used as a means to improve quality of care, efficiency and to increase patient acceptance.

Apple Watch Integration In Your Practice

The Apple Watch has become very popular and surprisingly quite useful among healthcare providers, particularly dental offices. The apple watch and other smart watches offer doctors increased efficiency, an opportunity to potentially increase production, ergonomic benefits, and more.

We all know constant communication is vital in delivering quality patient care in any practice and the way in which new and current patients interact with our practice has changed drastically. Internet use has shifted from mainly desktop usage to almost strictly mobile usage, this means our patients are looking to interact with us differently than before. Many of our practices have moved away from manually tracking and reminding patients of upcoming appointments to sending email and text communication.

The apple watch can be used among the office staff to communicate pertinent information to each other or to the doctor.  What do we do right before we see a patient? We figure out his or her name, check whether there are any pertinent medical issues, what the last procedure was, what we have scheduled to do this time and what bay/chair they are seated in. If we are doing this manually, we are killing our productivity without even realizing it.

Here are a few benefits of apple watch integration in your practice (granted that your software management system is compatible):

• Secure Messaging that allows the staff to to send, reply and read messages to patients

• Appointment Reminders that can be scheduled to be sent 1 week, 1 day, 1 hour before the appointment (or however frequent you wish to schedule them).

• Appointment Information that the doctor can access for details pertaining to the patient and the appointment.

• Doctor Paging to let the doctor know that his/her patient is now ready to be seen, including what room, chair or bay they are seated in.

What other ways do you think smart watches can be incorporated in your practice?

NPO's & Service to Humanity

"Service is the rent we pay for being. It is the very purpose of life, and not something you do in your spare time." - Marian Wright Edelman

I consider myself fortunate and I am honored to be in a position where I can help those that may not be as fortunate as myself. As a child my parents instilled in me fundamental values of humility and respect for everyone regardless of his/her position or place in this world.  Whether its is janitor, the postman or the CEO of a fortune 500 company - they all get the same level of respect and attention.  It is with those values that were instilled and remains engrained in me that I feel an obligation to help those in need and give back to society some of which is gained. This is the reason I participate in many community service projects, I volunteer as a dental professional and otherwise, and it is the reason I am co-founder of the non-profit organization Dental Helping Hands. 

Three classmates of Howard University of Dentistry decided they wanted to give back. The group consists of an Oral Surgeon, an Orthodontist and a General Dentist with the heart to share their talents with the world. They volunteer their time and travel to different countries to provide free dental services such as extractions, restorations, treat abscesses and cleft lip and palate repair.

I hope this inspires you to do something kind for someone, volunteer in your respective communities and perhaps sign up to be a volunteer or even a donor of our organization Dental Helping Hands. Visit our  Instagram page and connect with us. Website is under construction. 

Verona, Italy: Think Shakespeare and Romance

I have been to a few European countries and Italy is one of my favorites. Just about an hour away from bustling, vibrant Venice lies the quiet, easy-going, romance-filled, Verona. I visited Verona for a day on a European Tour and it was pretty magical! 

Verona was made famous by Shakespeare’s lovers, "Romeo and Juliet” and is widely revered as the city of love. Many people traveling from Milan to Venice typically make a pit stop in Verona to see the famous Juliet House where the real life Capello family once resided. The house has a cute and admittedly romantic courtyard with the balcony where Juliet stood and called out to her lover Romeo. Tourists from all over the world can be seen posing and rubbing on Juliet’s bronze breast, hoping to get lucky in love. Verona is so famous for love that it gets countless love letters addressed to Juliet. Seriously, google the Juliet Club. The city has hundreds of volunteers who take on the task of reading and answering these love letters.

Juliet's balcony overlooking the Romantic Courtyard where Juliet's bronze statue stands

Despite the romance of Verona it has a very rich history. It was considered a rest spot for traveling Romans and thus has a wealth of Roman Ruins along. It also has an amphitheater which is the third largest in the world an dates back to the first century A.D.

Outside of the Amphitheater

Inside of the Amphitheater

Just a short walk from the amphitheater is the market square, Piazza Erbe, where local vendors sell produce and souvenirs. It is said that this market square existed since Roman times.

Piazza Erbe (Market Square)

Local vendors and their kiosks selling fresh produce and souvenirs

While I thoroughly enjoyed seeing The Juliet House and learning of Verona's rich history, my absolute favorite part of Verona was Gelato and shopping!!

Happy camper after getting yummy Gelato!

Gelato!