We are so excited to have the one and only amazing Dr. Frank Spear on the show today. We kick off the show with an amazing story by Frank that changed his life, and the course of dentistry. It’s all thanks to a special teacher that Frank tries to emulate each and every time he steps on stage.
Dr. Frank Spear also shares the lean times when he first started practicing, and how he was invited to mentor in study clubs. We also get to learn some highlights from his book, his practice, his teaching, his mentoring, and we talk about the Spear Education Center. This is an interview that you won’t want to miss as Sully and Peyray have a candid conversation with Dr. Frank Spear.
You can find Dr. Frank Spear here:
Show Notes:
[02:21] Frank grew up in a small farming community. He had no interest in dentistry.
[03:38] In the 1970s, his parents said he needed to pick a college. Chico State was ranked the number one party school in America on the cover of Playboy Magazine.
[04:40] He didn't get accepted to Chico State. He went to Pacific Lutheran University.
[05:46] He had to pick a major. He decided to take anatomy and physiology to get them over with. He ended up liking the courses.
[06:39] His teacher was passionate about anatomy and asked him to meet with her. She suggested he go into a medical field. She setup a meeting with the pre-med adviser who was a dentist. This is how he ended up in dentistry.
[08:54] He applied to twelve dental schools and graduated in 1979.
[09:45] While he was in his periodontics and prosthodontics class, a faculty member named Gerry Schultz who had been running study clubs saw Dr. Spear give a presentation.
[10:27] He invited Dr. Spear to give a presentation. He was then invited to speak again. He was a month out of his grad program.
[11:31] At the end of this meeting, he was invited to speak by other people.
[13:02] Dr. Spear was lucky to be inspired by amazing people and great faculty. His instructors were influential about what was possible.
[17:03] Whoever the clinician is, they need to be able to recognize what is outside of their comfort zone.
[20:03] Sending more work out can open up room in your schedule to do what you want to do.
[20:44] Finding what you enjoy and are the most competent at. Doing what you like the most is more fun.
[21:21] At Spears they want dentists to have more fun, be more profitable, have more free time, and to grow clinical in competence and confidence.
[25:47] Young dentists need to take some time and examine what they do and don't like before opening up a practice.
[26:41] In June of 1982, interests rates were 19% and 20%. He worked six days a week. On Mondays, he rented a space from a periodontist.
[28:19] On Fridays and Saturdays, he rented other space from periodontists, and he was seeing a lot of military families. He learned a lot about phasing treatment.
[29:35] The rest of the week, he was an associate for the family dentist in the town he grew up in. He covered all of the emergencies and did the work the established dentist didn't want.
[30:51] At that time, he was asked to mentor a study club on aesthetics. By 1984, he was mentoring four study clubs.
[32:11] There was a powerful reputation from his graduate program.
[33:22] In 1985, he and John Kois bought the small family practice and partnered.
[34:39] In 1987 and beyond, Frank was spending a large part of his year speaking.
[37:36] They also brought in an associate. You also have to set boundaries on what you commit to.
[40:31] Frank wrote the book Case Acceptance in the Modern Dental Practice: Break Down Barriers, Increase Referrals and Boost Patient Satisfaction.
[41:40] They are three treatment models. The authoritarian model, the scarcity model, and the co-diagnosis model where you present the findings, consequences, how treatment would help. They ask for the treatment plan.
[44:37] Give your team a why, and they will be more likely to do it.
[45:03] What is the patients attitude during treatment presentation.
[50:39] General practitioners have a recall advantage. The challenge is people come in for all kinds of reasons. The consult, the traditional exam, and the comprehensive patient.
[52:42] Intake calls are so important.
[55:41] Frank Spear and John Kois wanted to have a small teaching center that they ran together for six years.
[56:39] In the early 1990's, Frank opened a practice and did seminars and workshops.
[57:35] In the early 2000s, his teaching really took off.
[01:01:19] What Dr. Frank Spear teaches is what is current and fundamentals of treatment planning etc.
[01:03:47] It's so important for dentists to understand the fundamentals. Don't stop learning after dental school.
[01:05:31] Technology changes how things are done. But most day-to-day treatments aren't changed.
[01:07:37] Dr. Spear would have paid more attention to money and business from the beginning.
[01:14:35] It's not selfish to think about money.
[01:15:03] Dr. Spear shares a story about the first study club he belonged to.
[01:18:36] Dr. Spear encourages Sully and Peyray to let everyone at the club have input.
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources:
The Millennial Dentist Website
@Millennialdentist on Facebook
On Instagram
Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on Instagram
Dr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram
We are excited to have Dr. Jeff Trembley on the show today. Jeff recently opened his own practice in November of 2017. Jeff is committed to giving his patients amazing results with carefully crafted restorations. Even though he is committed clinically, there were and still are many hurdles for Jeff to over overcome.
He understands the importance of customer referrals and treating patients in a way that makes them feel appreciated. It’s often the experience that will get the patient to come back and to refer family and friends. Jeff talks about the importance of photography and the success that he has had with his Instagram account.
We also talk about how important it is to understand your numbers and check your reports on a regular basis. Jeff benefited from having a consultant come into the practice and offer help and guidance. He is also committed to going all digital with his lab work. There are so many aspects to running your own practice that new and experienced dentists will get something out of this conversation.
You can find Dr. Jeff Trembley here:
Dr. Jeff Trembley on Instagram
Show Notes:
[02:26] Dr. Jeff Trembley opened a practice in November of 2017. Prior to that he was an associate.
[03:16] Peyray rented Jeff a room prior to Jeff opening his practice.
[04:27] At some point, every dentist comes to the point where they want to go out on their own.
[06:41] Even though, he found a great space Jeff really had to fight to get the financing and all of the paperwork in order.
[07:41] One of his first purchases was an electric handpiece. He equipped the hygienist, and got TVs to look at images.
[08:35] Jeff's opinion of modern dentistry is the most minimally biologically to get as close to what as what you want.
[09:15] Jeff is a biological dentist who wants to fit the materials to help the patient.
[11:38] Jeff had a best friend/mentor that helped him see the importance of photography.
[13:13] Jeff would take a retracted view and put it on the screen and start looking at it. He started sharing online. His greatest source of referrals is through Instagram.
[14:44] He put a photo studio in one of his op rooms.
[15:45] Dentistry is hard and starting a new is hard.
[16:09] Jeff learned the importance of data.
[16:45] Jeff isn't in network, so phone conversions are important.
[18:05] He doubled down on the philosophy. He lowered his fees and explained the fee process.
[19:16] He also hired a consultant to help go through the system and find out how many hygienist reschedule.
[20:02] Jeff is willing to take ownership of everything.
[20:52] You have to understand what reports to pull and what they are telling you. Then make adjustments to that.
[21:54] You have to create the behavior in the office. It's also important to see how reports change. Find out where your new patients come from.
[23:16] Patients are your best referrals so thank patients for coming in and show your gratitude.
[25:35] We have to make sure that our experience equals the quality of our dentistry.
[27:11] It helps to be direct with everything even treatment plans.
[30:18] One of the hardest things that Jeff has struggled with is his website and his marketing.
[31:40] It's hard to be on top of so many things and to keep in mind that if you're not on top of things it won't get done.
[32:32] One of Peyray's biggest challenges was the front office. He expected people to read his mind.
[34:26] Using clipboards was one of the best things that Jeff has done. It not only keeps records straight, but there's some satisfaction in crossing things off the list, and it enables the sharing of duties.
[37:35] If staff members are struggling with their personal life, then they might not be able to handle all the responsibilities of your busy office.
[39:51] There are ways to pull reports that paint a picture of your practice. Learn to understand your dental software.
[41:01] Data needs to be organized and combed through.
[42:05] It would be nice to review reappointment once a week.
[43:41] There are so many aspects to running an office that have nothing to do with clinical dentistry.
[44:17] It comes down to running a business and building a team around you.
[45:38] A challenge with experienced front desk people is auditing the system. The trick is to be able to coach people without offending anyone.
[49:14] Don't be reactive and gather information. Managing people can be a challenge. Write things down and create a checklist.
[50:36] Peyray will soon own a lab and controlling his quality.
[51:19] Jeff wants to go digital in 2019. He wants to be an expert in exocad.
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources:
The Millennial Dentist Website
@Millennialdentist on Facebook
On Instagram
Dr. Sully…@Millennialdentist on Instagram
Dr. Peyman…@drpeyray on Instagram
Dr. Michael DiTolla is here today to talk about the evolution of materials for crowns and veneers that he has seen over his career. He started out working in private practice, and by a fluke was asked to do some work at Glidewell Labs. He realized that he loved experimenting with new materials and finding ways to create better looking restorative dentistry.
He moved on to education and lecturing. He was a pioneer in making movies and DVDs to help train other dentists and lab technicians. He is now working with Six Month Smiles and is excited about a new hybrid program they have coming up that combines brackets and aligners for fast and affect aesthetic results. He is also thinking about starting up his practice again. This is a great discussion for dentists and technicians who really care about positive patient results..
You can find Dr. Michael DiTolla here:
Show Notes:
As always thanks so much for listening! If you like the show we would love for you to review the show on iTunes as well as spread the word! If you have any questions or want to get in touch, shoot me an email at millennialdentist@gmail.com.
Links and Resources: