Let's look at the dentist

Let's look at the third key item in the series on working efficiently.

Dentists are constantly looking for a magic bullet that will improve their practice. The problem is no magic bullets exist – improvement requires work by the dentist particularly on himself or herself. Take a unsuccessful dentist and put him/her in an successful practice and within 6 months that practice will be unsuccessful. And vice versa fortunately.

Here are the three biggest mistakes I see dentists make that hinder their success.

Mistake #1 – running late

What is it about dentists and medicos? I had the first appointment of the day recently with my medico. I thought: "Great, at least she will be on time." But, no, she was 15 minutes late and blamed the traffic.

Apart from being bad PR and irritating patients running late is also bad for your productivity.

With each patient you need to focus on them in a relaxed, clear-minded fashion. That will produce the best results. But, if you're running 20 minutes late and only have 10 minutes left out of a 30-minute appointment your thinking is not clear.

Also, running late makes you miss your lunch break. Lunchtime is very important to clear your mind and refocus for the afternoon.

Mistake #2 – being stuck in a rut

Many dentists go through dental school, work for one or two other dentists then set up their own practice. That seems to be the point when learning and experimentation often stops. I know dentists who practice the same as they did in the 1980s or 1990s.

You should be trying out new things and new ways of working every single month. If you have not tried something new in the last ninety days then you're in a serious rut.

You need a curiosity and a "what if" mentality. What if we did this instead of that? Would that work better?

Mistake #3 – perfectionism

To get a treatment result 96% right takes good staff, good materials and a moderate amount of time. 96% right will last for years and satisfy the patient. To get treatment results 99.5% right takes four times as long and lots of your stomach lining.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating shoddy work. But, you need to realize when enough is enough. Building a composite in 7 layers and tinting the occlusal grooves may stroke your ego but will the patient care and will it last any longer?

Bottom line

Work on yourself. There is no magic bullet.

Productivity primarily comes from the dentist as the leader of the team.