December 6, 2010
Seat-Belt Analogy
Regardless of our patient's age or cooperation, as long as preventive care can be provided safely with the assistance of a parent it should be provided. Completing preventive services sends a positive message to our young patients. Patients allowed to complete preventive care with this encouraging assistance realize that it is not painful or scary.
Not providing preventive care to an uncooperative child rewards that child for behavior meant to influence us, parents and dental team, from providing necessary care, not to mention confirming the child's suspicions that oral hygiene must be frightening and unnecessary.
Dr. Gunsaulis strongly believes that NOT providing preventive care is analogous to allowing a child to ride in a vehicle without a seat-belt or safety seat. This is why Dr. Gunsaulis believes that no exceptions can be given when it comes to ensuring a healthy child. Good parents would never dream of operating a vehicle without first safely securing their child and the same goes for oral health as well. Prevention now ensures a childhood free from pain and disease.
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November 8, 2010
Grow to Add Value
If you seek to:
Be a sponge for ideas
Live healthy
Celebrate your accomplishments
Share with others
You'll automatically gain:
New connections
Increased mental, spiritual and physical capabilities
Increased stature
Reputation of a master craftsman of value
Excerpt from Mark Sanborn's The Fred Factor
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November 8, 2010
Assigning Responsibility
In order to ensure accuracy and efficiency every business owner must create policies and protocols. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) may define a practice's policies and protocols but they are worthless unless they clearly define who is specifically responsible for carrying them out.
A good standard operating procedure always clearly assigns a responsible party.
Assigning site-specific clinical SOPs for dental assistants, or any employee for that matter, is accomplished easily by posting a checklist in the operatory or room they are assigned. This works regardless of how long a dentist decides to assign a dental assistant to a particular room, even if it is on a daily, weekly, monthly or permanent basis.
See my Blog, under the heading Checklists, for an example taken straight from operatory 7 of my practice.
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October 11, 2010
Presentation for Providers of Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
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September 4, 2010
Act Boldly
Confidently move forward. Listen to what others have to say, but make your decision and stick with it. Infuse your life with boldness, not arrogance, and watch others come around with the success of your actions. Read: Mark Sanborn's You Don't Need A Title To Be A Leader
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September 4, 2010
Facing Your Fears
We all strive to be better leaders for our teams and our profession. In order to do this we put ourselves in situations where we are both student and teacher.
We listen, watch, learn and share our experiences with each other in study clubs, societies and other organizations because we all benefit through the shared ideas and knowledge of others.
Effective leaders are not born and the principles of leadership do not come naturally. In fact, most of the world's greatest leaders came into their prime later in their lives. The fear of rejection and judgment is nothing compared to the knowledge gained when pushing yourself to be better.
What we need to be most afraid of is having fear control us!
Do not give up facing your fears.
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September 4, 2010
Checklists
The World Health Organization has adopted a checklist approach to decrease mistakes in operating rooms around the world.
It sounds easy but I can tell you that here in my hometown and elsewhere hospitals are struggling with compliance.
My personal opinion is that most people feel they are above a lowly checklist and are afraid to appear incompetent if they are seen using one. I don't care what it takes to keep my patients safe! I've adopted a checklist in many areas of my private practice and have been very happy at how easy they are to incorporate into everyday use and how successful they have become.
To learn how to get things done right I recommend reading The Checklist Manifesto by writer and surgeon Atul Gawande and visit my blog under the checklist heading to use or modify my checklists, which I will rotate periodically.
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September 4, 2010
Goal Setting
Experts say that to make or break a habit requires repetition. Repetitively doing the same thing about the same time each day for at least 21 days (or longer) is the basis of creating or destroying a habit.
Why not use this knowledge to help your patients make and break habits. Make it simple for your patient's to set goals by providing them a goal calendar carrying your logo and contact information.
Make it especially fun to participate by offering an incentive or reward when they reach their goal. It is a win-win for both of you!
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August 9, 2010
Grow Your Practice
Generate interest in your business.
Post a social network event that allows your patients and their families to show off their smiles and win a prize. Check out the 'Summer Smile Contest' our practice posted to our facebook wall.
The pictures are wonderful and the testimonials are priceless: "Jen, how awesome that we see Dr Molly too! She's so great with the girls and being that I was a Dental Assistant for a few years, I'm REALLY picky! So glad you had a great experience, it's gives me a peace of mind for any future 'surgeries' for my girls." (Paul N Heather Crooks, June 11 wall post on facebook)
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August 9, 2010
Twitter
Be proud of :
who you are,
what you do,
how you do it,
and when and where you do it! Use Twitter to promote your best business practices.
Share with everyone: the organizations and events you sponsor,
your favorite or new products,
funny things your young patient's say and do,
and everything else!
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July 2, 2010
Connections Count
LinkedIn is a verifiable resume the world can see, especially worried parents that want the best possible dental care for their children.
Why not become a member? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Let me know if you have any questions regarding LinkedIn and I look forward to being your connection.
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July 2, 2010
Policies for Parents, Be Crystal Clear
Pediatric dentists know that bribery and asking do NOT work and of course expecting someone to read your mind doesn't either. To be an effective provider you must TELL your patient's parents what you need them to do. All office policies need to have your patient's best interest in mind, and policies for parents are no exception. It is best to keep the number of policies to a minimum and use positive straightforward terminology.
To create CRYSTAL CLEAR transparency and reassure your patient's parents that you and your practice treat everyone equally and with the utmost respect, post your practice's policies 24/7 on your website.
For an example: view Policies for Parents on my website at the bottom of Our Goals page.
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June 8, 2010
Never Mix ZOE Chair Side Again
Save Time and money by mixing Zink Oxide Eugenol once a week to have ready when needed.
My Team orders Miltex's Zink Oxide USP and Henry Schein's Eugenol all from the Henry Schein catalog. Both are sold separately.
There is no real measurement when mixing. My Team mixes it to a Play'Doh like consistency and stores it in the a dark container. The ZOE mix will become too hard to work with after about 5 days, so be sure to mix only enough for the next 3-4 days.
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June 8, 2010
Inland Northwest Dental Conference
If you missed my lecture at the Inland Northwest Dental Conference on May 6th you may still view and download my power point presentation by selecting the icon below.
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June 8, 2010
Handle Neglect Effectively
Here is a letter my team and I send via certified mail to parents who decline treatment. We send it with the ADA brochure "Why Baby Teeth are Important" and an article. Please feel free to use of modify this letter.
Date
Mother’s and Father’s name
Street Address
City, ST Zip
Mother’s and Father’s name,
Please understand that Jane’s best interest is what guides my clinical decisions. Jane’s oral health is not optimal and will only continue to deteriorate without timely treatment. Her overall health and developing permanent teeth are at risk.
Nitrous oxide sedation was not enough to ease Jane’s anxiety at her last appointment. I will not render treatment until her anxiety is controlled to prevent unsafe movement which puts her at significant risk for serious medical complications such as aspiration of a tooth or restorative material (inhalation and blockage of airway) or surgical trauma. I have recommended conscious sedation or general anesthesia in order to complete dental treatment and I must state again, only with general anesthesia can I guarantee treatment because behavior is not an issue as it is with conscious sedation. I urge you to reconsider treatment, if not with me, than another pediatric dentist as soon as possible. I have included information on both forms of sedation, some of which you may have already received from us.
Dental decay is an infectious process and as such can spread throughout Jane’s body. Dental infections are to be taken seriously, especially in the very young, because they can and do cause serious health issues, up to and including death.
If financial considerations are an issue we will work with you to make providing the necessary care possible.
As a health professional, I have a legal and ethical obligation to report suspected child neglect. Washington State Child Protective Services defines child neglect as delaying, refusing, or declining treatment that is necessary to maintain or regain a child’s health.
When you are ready to go ahead with treatment, Janelle, my practice administrator, will be more than happy to reschedule Jane’s dental care. We are only a phone call away. Please do not delay further.
Sincerely,
Molly Gunsaulis, DDS
Pediatric Dentist
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June 8, 2010
Customize Prevention Easily
You may use the Caries-Risk Assessment Test my team and I give to parents and the Key we use which interprets the data and allows us to customize preventive care. To view and download these documents select each of the icons below.
For Parents 
For Office
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March 7, 2010
Injuries to Primary Teeth
View my power point presentation, Injuries to Primary Teeth, at your convenience, select the icon below.
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April 7, 2010
Social Networking Sites Build Trust
Business is selling and all sales are based on trust.
As a pediatric dentist I know firsthand how important trust is to all purchasing decisions.
SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES BUILD TRUST by:
Establishing credibility
Substantiating and validating your reputation
Allowing you to post your customer's references
Sustaining rapport between your practice and your patients
Being perceived as more approachable because you and your practice are accessible 24/7
Helping transform the relationship of patient and doctor from one-sided to a true partnership
Making word-of-mouth marketing easy, thoughtless, and automatic
Reading Recommendation: The Facebook Era by Clara Shih
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April 7, 2010
Motivate your Patients to Invest in their Health
Guidelines from Jeffery Gitomer, www.gitomer.com, on how to make a sale and resolve conflict:
Never argue
Never offend
View objections as an indication of interest
Never think or act like you are defeated
Try to make a friend at all costs
Try to get on the same side of the fence
Never have to remember what you said
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April 21, 2010
Best Dentist
IF YOU HAVE TO SAY WHAT YOU ARE, YOU PROBABLY AREN'T
Instead:
Be your best at all times, especially when nobody is looking
Become known by the actions you take
Live life as your own personal advertisement
Reach toward goals
Rise above quotas; don't let them trip you up
Take time to think about what is keeping you from reaching your goals
Study business, sales and everything else we weren't taught in school
Have fun and put your HEART into it
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April 21, 2010
Loyalty
YOU WANT AND NEED LOYAL PATIENTS.
You get LOYALTY by giving it!
Be loyal to your patients, your Team, your practice-philosophy, your services, and yourself. Invest in others by adding value to their lives. Make their life better just by knowing you.
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February 21, 2010
Grow Your Practice
The most powerful person on your sales team is your customer, your patient.
I offer an incentive to my Team to collect our patient's compliments in writing.
My Team and I ask for a testimonial after EVERY compliment.
As an example, if a patient says, "You guys are great, I'm telling everyone I know about you." This is the best time for you and your Team to say. "You're welcome. We work hard to deliver excellent care and customer service. Would you mind writing down a few words that describe why you recommend us that we can share with everyone."
Display testimonials on your advertisements, brochures, website, Twitter, Facebook, etc., and watch your practice grow!
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