How to Build Trust with Your Patients & Boost Case Acceptance

 

NOTES:

 

• A few months ago, Dr. Glenn Vo had Dustin Johnson, Director of Engineering at SOTA Imaging, and Albert Kim, SOTA’s VP of Sales & Marketing, on to talk all about recent dental questions.
• Back then, Albert and Dustin were new to the group. But, since, SOTA Imaging has emerged as a champion for our community. Albert has appeared on numerous episodes by now, gaining a reputation and becoming beloved by the Nifty Thrifty community.
• This week, Glenn was happy to have Albert on again for another episode of the Nifty Thrifty podcast. And while many of you may fondly recognize Albert’s face, someone less familiar to the group joined him: Dr. Barry Bartuisak.
• Even though Barry is new, you may have seen him speaking elsewhere. As a renowned speaker and practicing dentist, he’s already made his rounds in some dental communities.
  • P.S…. For you football fans tuning in, you’ll be happy to learn that Barry used to be the team dentist for the Pittsburgh Steelers!
• Albert is actually the one who connected Barry and Glenn. Glenn was happy to have Barry on to talk about building trust with your patients as well as boosting case acceptance—something he believes every dentist could benefit from.
• To Barry, boosting your case acceptance is “all about relationships”—whether that’s in the office or outside of it. Because once you establish relationships with your patients, you can then establish trust. From there, boosting case acceptance rates becomes easier than ever.
• Before we talk about building relationships with your patients, though, let’s take a step back and talk about Barry’s story…
  • Barry’s father was a farmer and his mom was a school teacher. He grew up in the hills of Western Pennsylvania, thirty minutes west of Pittsburgh, in a little town called Washington. 
  • After choosing to pursue the path of dentistry, Barry eventually opened up a practice in his own hometown. 
  • On top of being the team dentist for the Steelers, Barry has also been privileged enough to travel the world. He’s attended over 550 seminars with his brothers and sisters in dentistry.
• Barry thinks many dentists struggle with case acceptance because of a lapse in education. When dentists come out of dental school, we’re 100% trained to be dentists but—in most instances—we’re 0% trained to be small business people.
• Thus, when we open up our first dental practice, it’s very much a matter of sinking or swimming. That’s not to mention that many dentists today are graduating with enormous debt, making it harder than ever to stay afloat.
• Having poor case acceptance rates goes beyond faltering profit margins, though. It means our patients go without the treatment they need, not to mention that it can be a blow to our self-esteem.
• To Barry, what gets measured gets managed. That’s why he tracks his case acceptance rates every day, working to make any pivots to increase his already incredible case acceptance rates.
• That said, Barry’s role in the case presentation process is very minimal. He’s mastered the art of getting patients to trust him, meaning they don’t need to be “persuaded.”
• There’s a reason Albert hopped onto this week’s episode, and it has to do with the fact that a high-quality camera can do wonders for your case acceptance rates. That’s why Barry and Albert’s team over at SOTA Imaging have partnered up for this week’s Nifty Deal.
• If you don’t know about SOTA yet, their acronym stands for “State of the Art.” They’ve designed all sorts of optics for various industries—Medical, Aerospace, etc.—since 1993. About ten years ago, SOTA segued into dentistry. 
• With the production of SOTA’s proprietary cameras such as the Claris i310, one of the first USB intraoral cameras on the market, and the award-winning Claris i4D, SOTA has developed the technology—from optics to ergonomics—to provide dental practitioners with the most advanced intraoral camera to date: the Claris Intraoral Camera. 
• Since its early days, the Claris camera has come a long way. Recently, they’ve decked out their product line even further by adding an all-new all-aluminum model: the Claris i5HD Intraoral Camera.
• If you aren’t familiar with the Claris camera, it’s a beaut with an adjustable focus that trumps its competition. There’s nothing cheap or plastic about it, with industrial-level technology that’ll last years and years to come.
  • In fact, the Claris camera can get you down to 2mm away from the surface of whatever you’re trying to take a picture of. 
• And let’s not forget about SOTA Imaging’s fully-integrated Clio Digital X-Ray sensors: the Clio Prime and Clio Pedo sensors. These puppies are produced in a foundry where they have to produce silicon wafers—they’re rare, with only so many in the world. And, to add a cherry on top, these sensors are upgraded versions of other high-end dental technology (such as the Dexus Platinum).
• With such sophisticated technology, it should be no surprise that both of these sensors are equipped with next-gen CMOS fiber optic technology with Csl Scintillators. This allows SOTA to provide dental practices far and wide with the largest active area plates in the industry. 
• Learn about:
  • What’s the national case acceptance average?
    • Hint: it’s about 35-40% (depending on who you ask).
  • Which case acceptance rates can Barry boast?
    • Hint: upward of 89-96%!
  • What are “pandemic teeth,” how are they a sad fact about where we are in our society right now, and how do they present an opportunity to change more lives for the better?
  • Why is it important to use high-quality products—like those from SOTA Imaging—if you want patients to feel like you’re offering the highest quality dental treatment? 
  • On that note, why are the images you use during case presentations going to be significantly impactful when it comes to building confidence and trust with your patients? 
  • How does the latest and greatest technology—like that offered by SOTA Imaging—increase patient comfort?
  • What is the importance of making a good first impression, according to Barry? What role do the pictures you provide play in making that first impression?
  • How do SOTA products eliminate pain for patients and thus optimize patient comfort?
  • How is SOTA different from other imaging software companies in the market?
  • What awesome policy does SOTA Imaging have for those who want to try out their products without any financial obligations?
  • And more!
• There may be a staffing shortage thanks to the Great Resignation. Many of us are still recuperating after coming through a pandemic. But Barry thinks that right now is a very exciting time to be a dentist—especially with all of the constant innovation coming down the pipeline.
• There are always going to be obstacles for any dentist to overcome, after all, which is why it’s so important for us to nail down the fundamentals of our practice. And much of the fundamentals of any dental practice—small or large—go back to case acceptance: everything starts with a sale.
• So, what’re you waiting for? You can find Albert in the Nifty Thrifty Facebook group. Even better, Barry provided his private cell phone number as well as his email. You can reach out to him at 724-255-1115 or [email protected]. He’d be happy to provide guidance, answer questions, or do whatever else he can to help.

 

NIFTY DEAL:

 

• https://info.sotaimaging.com/niftythrifty 
  • ($2000 off Clio Prime/Pedo sensors)