As I conclude this series on how to achieve success in the practice of dentistry, I have one more observation for you to consider. I consistently find that successful doctors have figured out a way to take a little bit more time away from their practice. That may seem counter intuitive – how can working less equal greater success? We all know that we are in what I like to call the “widget” business. You do one crown, you get paid for one crown. You do two crowns, you get paid for two crowns. You do no crowns, you don’t get paid anything.

But dentistry is not an easy profession. There is a lot of stress. We are working in a very small confined area. Our patients many times don’t really want to be there, and that can really get to you. So as a way to become rejuvenated  and combat burnout, I am suggesting to everybody that they try to take more time out of the practice. Studies show that time away from the practice will rekindle energy, and the business will actually become more productive because the doctor is in a better frame of mind. We also have to remember that we only go this way once–that our kids are only going to be young once, and that it is important to spend time with family.

So here is an amazing statistic: the worst two weeks in a dental practice for production and collection are the first two weeks of September. I see this year in and year out. More dentists want to jump off bridges in September than any other month of the year! I think it is a combination of the summer doldrums and kids getting back into the school year with their schedules not being set. So these two weeks of September routinely and consistently have the highest number of last-minute cancellations and no-shows. Don’t try and fight it. If it’s  at all possible, those two weeks might be a great time for you to take a vacation, and the practice will suffer the least.

Over the past three months, I have shared my thoughts in a series of nine posts – garnered from seventeen plus years of full time coaching – as to what I see as the commonalities of successful dental practices. Now it is time to sum things up, to  put everything in proper perspective, and to tie the loose ends together. At the risk of sounding pretentious, I would encourage you to print out the posts and read them again. See what you agree with, and what you may not agree with. See what you have already instituted in your practice, and what you haven’t. Take a look at what could be improved – or added – and then decide on a detailed plan of action.

Achieving success is not easy. If it were, we would all be there. You have to take it one day at a time. It is a marathon and not a sprint. Slow and steady wins most races. A recent Chinese fortune cookie message just might say it all: things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

I wish you all good luck in your pursuit of success.

After writing eight posts in this series on my observations over the years of why certain doctors achieve success in the practice of dentistry – none of which relate to clinical expertise – it is finally time to discuss something related to teeth and the oral cavity! In truth, there really is no substitute for great hands and great confidence and great diagnostic ability. Some of that is God given, and those people are very lucky. But I see so many doctors who really grow into  becoming excellent clinicians with some serious commitment to continuing education that can increase their productivity. All states, of course, have minimum requirements for continuing education. I am talking about going way beyond that.

• Spending time with world class clinicians and educators like Frank Spears and Ross Nash or David Hornbrook gives a doctor  confidence and the ability to visualize cases. I hear only good things about these guys, and I see wonderful results from my clients. A major additional benefit to the learning process in formalized lectures is the socialization and rubbing elbows with other doctor attendees who are as serious as you are about improving. Often the idea sharing among the participants at the conference is just as beneficial as what is presented on stage.

• Participating in study clubs. In just about every successful practice I have been involved with, the doctor is an active participant in a well organized study club. Again, you learn not only from the lectures but from the involvement with other doctors in the club who are serious about upgrading their skills and knowledge.

• Learning new procedures like short-term orthodontics with Six Month Smiles enables a doctor to create opportunities for much more restorative dentistry. In the past two years, I have had fifteen different clients attend the Six Month Smiles  course – and they are all happy. I actually attended the course two years ago just to see what this was all about, and I can honestly tell you it was the first time in all these years that I wished I was back doing clinical dentistry. It is really pretty amazing. The room was filled with frustrated Invisalign providers!

• Promoting aesthetics. I see a lot of good results from practices that continually talk about whiter teeth. I think people in general want to look better. I think they feel it will help their life both personally and professionally. But if a doctor wants to be successful promoting aesthetics to the patient base, he or she better be very sure that their own smile looks great as well as the smiles of their staff members.

So challenge yourself to be the best clinician you can be. It is a privilege to be a “doctor” and to be held in high esteem by your patients and your community. You have earned this by hard work and perseverance over many years – but the quest for excellence is never ending. So continue on this path, and success is almost guaranteed.