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Show Notes

669: The Best Way to Recession Proof Your Practice – Dr. Leonard Hess

When business slows down, it can be worrisome for your practice. Take control back by learning to think bigger, investing in yourself and treatment planning for your patients, not the insurance companies. Dr. Leonard Hess of the Dawson academy joins us to show you how. Learn more in Episode 669 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Subscribe to The Best Practices Show podcast https://the-best-practices-show.captivate.fm/listen
• Join ACT’s To The Top Study Club https://www.actdental.com/ttt
• See ACT’s Live Events Schedule https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/act-dental-live-workshops-306239
• Get The Best Practices Magazine for free! https://www.actdental.com/magazine
• Write a review on iTunes https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-best-practices-show/id1223838218

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

The Dawson Academy https://thedawsonacademy.com/

Main Takeaways:

Too many dentists are treatment planning for the insurance companies and not their patients. 

Most people over their lifetime are undertreated when it comes to dentistry. 

Learn to solve bigger problems. 

If you want change, stop acting like every other dentist. 

Invest in yourself. Invest in your team. 

If you’re a dentist, you’re in the people business. 

Quotes:

“Right now the best thing to do is educate yourself. Right now you should be investing in yourself to put yourself in a position where you can come out of this little slow down ready to rock and roll more than ever. The biggest change that has to happen is…the insurance industry is impacting dentistry now more than ever…it’s getting worse for the dentists. It’s not getting better. A lot of practices are starting to move towards DSOs and now DSOs are negotiating…The trap that almost every dentist falls into these days, and especially younger dentist, the problem in dentistry is that too many dentists are treatment planning what is best for the insurance company and they’re not doing what’s best for the patient.” – Lenny (7:52—9:04)

“The paradigm shift when you can educate yourself and put yourself in a position where you can diagnose better and you can educate your patients better, people inherently always want to do what’s best for themselves. They just need that choice. We’ve got a great standard of care of dentistry in the United States, but most people over their lifetime are actually undertreated.” – Lenny (9:08—9:32)

“People are getting a veil lifted and they see things differently. Because in dental school you were really only taught to diagnose problems related bacteria: causing decay or periodontal disease. But the biggest threat to whether or not people keep their teeth long term has very little to do with bacteria and has everything to do with force and occlusion and how everything is being managed. Most people who want a dental makeover, they don’t want it because they want whiter teeth. They want it because their teeth are worn and chipped. They have teeth of a 70 year old when they’re 40 and that’s not just a good combination. So in dental school we weren’t taught how to treat those types of cases. And they’re everywhere.” – Lenny (11:20—12:08)

“If you diagnose right, if you build a relationship with your patients you just need a dozen new patients a month. Or even…