Video by Kevin Henry

When it comes to improving marketing for your dental practice, the office phone may be the last place you think to start. But if you want to grow your practice, it may be the hidden key to success.

According to Keaton Marks, director of business development for 

, the office phone is often an overlooked part of any dental practice, which can lead to many missed opportunities.

Marks recently sat down with Kevin Henry, content director for UBM Advanstar Dental Media Group, to discuss the importance of the phone and phone skills.  

“Not only should you be tracking what marketing is driving phone calls, but if our agents and our receptionists aren’t doing well on those phone skills, we’re going to miss so many opportunities,” Marks explains. He says that he and the rest of the Patient Pursuit team noticed the quicker they shared this message it became obvious to the rest of the community that the phone is an important marketing tool.

For example, Marks says when they listened in on various dental practice front desk phone calls, receptionists weren’t eager to book appointments, they were more passive with prospective patients. And this is just one of the problems they found that could hurt the growth of any practice.

To watch the full interview with Marks and Henry, see the video below.

“It’s hard to decide what the next big marketing piece is going to be,” Marks says, “but the more you can stay cutting edge and know what’s out there, the better we can be.”

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How the phone can make or break your marketing efforts [VIDEO]

If you’re dealing with daily aches and pain during the work day, Timothy Caruso has some tips for you.

, Kevin Henry, group editorial director for Advanstar Dental Media, talked about ergonomics and pain the dental office with Caruso. 

The webinar led by Caruso is now available on-demand 

and focuses on easy ways to alleviate work-related pain.

Caruso tells Henry that two of the biggest mistakes he sees dentists make when it comes to improving ergonomics are not dealing with daily pain head on and thinking it’s too much work.

When these issues aren’t addressed, those daily pains can easily turn into chronic pain.

It’s also a misconception that keeping your focus on ergonomics means you have to re-fit an entire operatory, he says. In reality, there are simple changes every dentist, assistant and hygienist can make to improve conditions at work that may be causing pain.

One of Caruso’s tips to improve your working posture is to get help from a co-worker and photographs. He recommends a co-worker take a photo of you during the work day in the correct posture position and calls you out when in the incorrect posture position.

It’s easier to notice these mistakes when you’re “in the trenches” of daily work, so to speak.

free e-book, “7 Ways to Avoid Work-Related Pain and Extend Your Career”

 available here. In the e-book, we show you some common causes of musculoskeletal pain and offer tips on how to overcome them.

Timothy Caruso is a practicing Physical Therapist who has focused his professional expertise in the areas of manual therapy, orthopedics and neuromusculoskeletal disorders. He is a member of the ADA’s Ergonomic and Disability Support Advisory Committee and has worked extensively with the dental community since 1988.

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How to handle daily pain in the dental office before it becomes chronic [VIDEO]

says financial planning and dentistry are more similar than most people probably think. It wasn’t until McNeely married a dentist that he discovered the similarities.

“When you show up at the dentist, the first thing they do is take an x-ray, look at your mouth, figure out what your problems and build a treatment plan,” he says.

The method is pretty much the same for financial planning.

The process starts by sitting down, figuring out the dentist's and dental practice’s financial problems and developing a plan of attack to fix them.

Talking with Advanstar Dental Media Content Director Kevin Henry, McNeely says dentists are routinely making mistakes when planning for their retirement and their overall business plan. Two of the major items sabotaging retirement are dentists not working with Certified Financial Planners and getting ripped off by Wall Street.

Watch the interview now to learn more from McNeely:

Plus, McNeely shares his "Top 6 Financial Blunders Sabotaging your Retirement" in this free checklist. Click here to download the checklist for free. 

Timothy J. McNeely	CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™


	Certified Investment Management Analysts?
	McNeely Financial Strategies LLC
	Digital Financial Planning™ for Dentists
	18919 Nordhoff St., Suite 6C | Northridge, CA 91324
	Call Tim at 

Securities are offered through
	Raymond James Financial Services, Inc.  Member 

Tim McNeely, CFP, CIMA, says financial planning and dentistry are more similar than most people probably think. It wasn’t until McNeely married a dentist that he discovered the similarities.

Top financial mistakes most dentists are making [VIDEO]

What started as a purchase for Dr. Mike DiTolla’s co-worker has turned into a new love for the 

KaVo MASTERtorque™ M8900 L High-Speed Air Handpiece.

Dr. DiTolla recently purchased several of the new handpieces for his office and co-worker and while she was on vacation he decided to check them out. He says working with the dental air turbine of the KaVo MASTERtorque made him remember why he loved working with air-driven handpieces.

He says every office should have both electric and air-driven handpieces, but the KaVo MASTERtorque™ M8900 L High-Speed Air Handpiece is the top of the top.

Also new about the MASTERtorque™ M8900 L High-Speed Air Handpiece is the limited noise, DiTolla adds.

“That whine of dental air rotors is a noise that elicits fear in everyone on the planet,” he says. “When I went and borrowed my associates MASTERtorque™, I was a little worried because I’d always associated that high-pitch, terrifying whine with air rotors and I was surprised to that it was not that same experience that my old air rotor was. In fact, it might be quieter than my electric handpieces.”

		 New: Most powerful (23 watts) KaVo high-speed with ceramic bearing

		 DST stops the bur in one second, increasing efficiency and improving safety during treatment

		 DST reduces drawback of particles into the ball bearings for improved durability and hygiene

		 Quietest KaVo air high-speed at 57 decibels

		 Improved 4-port spray for better visibility

		 Push button auto chuck 3rd generation cellular optics with 5-year warranty

		 Automatic drive air adjustment - Use at minimum drive air pressure 38 psi (2.6 bar)

Dr. DiTolla will be leading a webinar in dental handpiece advancements on May 27 at 7:30 p.m. EST. Click here to learn more and register.

What started as a purchase for Dr. Mike DiTolla’s co-worker has turned into a new love for the KaVo MASTERtorque™ M8900 L High-Speed Air Handpiece.