Practical Management

Dr. ASia
The Business of Dentistry
Practical Administration or Management
-an orderly arrangement and administration of all
useful facilities and services needed for a productive
professional practice
Dental Practice Management
Enables the dentist to:
-initiate procedures which will help him be more
systematic and efficient
-carry on with personal and business conduct in a
flexible controlled manner
-carry on a profitable business with respect for
relevant laws
Dentistry
A Health Care profession that:
1.

Provide Health
Care services
Promote optimal oral
health

2.

Make profit as a
small business
Practice ethically

provide oral health

education

operate efficiently

promote prevention

Operate Safely

emulate the highest

standards of care

Be productive

exhibit willingness to
share knowledge

Utilize Technology

participate in
professional activities

Create a profit

Objectives as a profession
1. Provide relief of pain from dental origin
2. Help prevent pain by practicing preventive
dentistry
3. Help maintain patients personal appearance
4. Help patients masticate their food throughout
their lifetime
5. Assists in maintaining good oral health
When do we say that there is an established
practice?
-When we new patients are coming
-When there is a healthy recall program
-When monthly gross can pay the overhead expenses
and can support the entire staf
Dentistry as a service profession
-dental treatment (tangible product) may be the
objective of the patient, but the staf must be aware
that the most important product the patient seeks is
service (intangible product)
-the basis for patient retention is communication.

Activities that promote Service

-maintaining regularly scheduled office hours
-providing emergency care during the doctors
absence
-maintaining the appointment schedule without

delays
-maintaining professional ethics
-practicing quality care
-recognizing a patients needs
-taking time to listen to a patients concerns
-respecting a patients right to choice
-informing patients of alternative treatment plans
-allaying fears
-hiring qualified employees
-assigning only legally delegable duties to qualified
staf
-seeking staf input in decision making
-encouraging an environment of caring
-updating procedural techniques, equipment and
office dcor regularly
-maintaining office equipment
-maintaining professional skills routinely
-operating safely
-maintaining quality assurance
-attending risk management seminars
-participating in community services
-being genuine and honest
Leadership
-determines how the staf and the doctor work
together
-determines whether the goals are established
-types of leadership:
1. Traditional
-or authoritative management
-allows the doctor to make all the decisions as the
central authority figure
-staf members are merely figures that carry out
specific orders
-doctors hires passive dental personnel
-little opportunity for communication
2. Free Reign leadership
-does not place the responsibility of management on
any one person
-doctors does not provide direction
-doctor is not consistent in policies and procedures;
may make erratic changes in schedules
-doctor hires assistant who are dependable and often
dominant
-lack of goals and poor organization
3. Participatory Leadership
-most advantageous
-recognizes that each member has skills necessary in
obtaining the goals of the practice
-all staf participates in decision making
-employees are eager to accept responsibility, willing
to make decisions, and seeking challenges in their
daily work
-dentist serves as the leader, and a responsible
leader in each office area reports to the dentist
Leadership technique:
-considering long-term results over short-term results
-stressing efectiveness over efficiency alone
-thinking strategically rather than operationally
-being proactive to situations rather than reactive
-being drive by plans rather than problems
Characteristics of an effective leadership
Self-confidence
-accepting yourself
-having a healthy mental picture of yourself
-identifying your strengths and building on them
-accepting your weaknesses and not dwelling on
them.

-business assistant: assumes responsibility, accepts

challenges, and provides input in decision making.
Genuineness
-being yourself
-sincere and straightforward
-not afraid to reach out and touch someone
-puts patients at east and allows them to share their
feelings
Acceptance of others backgrounds and values
-accept others as worthy human beings without
trying to change them to fit your value system
-concentrating on seeing the person, not the
disability.
Enthusiasm
-being interested in your work, expressive and leave
your problems at home
-has a positive outlook in life
Assertiveness
-does not being aggressive
-bold and enterprising in a non-hostile manner
-requires tact, initiative, and a willingness to take a
risk.
Integrity
-honest and lives by a code of ethics
Efective listening
-is more than hearing
-hears the facts and the feelings behind them
-listen with your eyes
Patient: I just dont know whether to have a
porcelain crown on this front tooth or not. My family
has always accepted me like this, but every time I
have my picture taken I always worry that this gray
tooth will show, so I keep my mouth closed.
Assistant: You have considered having the crown
done, but sometimes feel you shouldnt do it?
Patient: Uh huh.
Dentist: I dont understand why we havent
received the new impression material that we
ordered.
Assistant: Do I hear you saying that you think
maybe I didnt place the order?
Dentist: No, I was just wondering if maybe the
supply house isnt stocking the material.
Recognition of others needs
-recognizing the desire of colleagues to feel valued
for their contribution to the teams success
Sense of humor
-approaching stressful situations with a sense of
humor, laughing at the situation, and not at the
people involved.
Willingness to be a team player
-there is no I in the word team
-individuals realizing their role on the team and how
best to accomplish specific tasks
Establishing practice goals and objectives:
Needed before opening a dental practice
Provides direction
Needs revision as the practice grows.

1.Develop a practice in philosophy

-broad statement about the basic concepts of patient
care business management, auxillary utilization,
health and safety, and continuing education for the
practice.
2. Develop practice objectives
-specific objectives for the practice
-specific, positive action statement that indicated
expected result in the practice.
3. Develop practice policies
-statements of basic policies that indicate specific
results in the practice
-should be accessible to patients
-should have broad headings, followed by specific
policies
4. Develop procedural policies
-a breakdown of the broad policy statements into
specific objectives and further defined into specific
tasks for all the common office procedures.
5. Develop business principles
-these objectives emphasize the actual business
activities of the office
-numerical outline of the budget process for the
practice and procedures for managing business
activities
6. Develop practice standards
-identifies a quality standard that defines selfperformance level and performance level expected of
the staf
-explanation of procedures for maintaining this
standard
-becomes rules by which the office is managed
7. Develop a staf recognition program
-employee given challenging responsibilities, and
salaries must be commensurate with the
accomplishment of these responsibilities
-verbal expression of gratitude must not replace
profit sharing, gift certificates, and travel as real
incentives.

Types of Practice:
1. Individual Practice
2. Associating practice
3. Group practice
4. Military dentist
5. Company dentist
6. School dentist
7. Teaching/ Professor/ C.I
8. Public Health dentist

Military Dentist

Ind. Practice

Advantages
You are your own boss
develops greater
production motivation
develops self-confidence
and self reliance

Disadvantages
Put on more capital
higher overhead
expenses

Advantages
Immediate income

Disadvantages
Less recognition

Program for
advancement

Advancement may be
slow

Able to leave the service

with about 75% of the
salary

Rotation of assignments

Permitted to attend
government paid post
grad courses

Basic pay and

allowances attractive for
fresh graduates

Advantage in position

Lower initial income

Company Dentist and School Dentist
Association Practice
Advantage
Gain experience
You acquire patients
Your get more income in
the first 2-3 years
You dont have to put out
any money

Disadvantage
Comply with the rules
and regulations of the
employer
Personality conflicts
Sometimes you only do
assigned works
Limited income

Group Practice
Advantages
Can consult each other

Disadvantages
Conflicts

Quantity purchasing

Leader ship

Limits your practice to

certain preference

Jealousy can arise

Other benefits

Advantages
No worries for patients
Enjoy benefits like
seminars

Disadvantages
No private patients
allowed

Fixed income every

month

All materials
purchased/supplied by
company can not be
brought outside

Things are supplied by

the company

Limited patients and

cases

No worries for rentals

and bills

Obliged to report on time

Not so busy
Dental assistant supplied
by the company

Professor
Advantages
Gain respect

Disadvantages
Tiresome

More updated

Not easy

Gain friends and

enemies

Little money

A way to establish ones

name

Public Health Dentist

Work setting: barangay health centers

Simple area to fully equipped facilities
Working for the government
Option to have a morning or afternoon schedule
Looked up as an educator