Orthotown June 2016 - (Page 8)

embrace progress // column AAO 2016 Recap Presenters covered everything from start-ups to selling out by Daniel Grob, DDS, MS, editorial director, Orthotown magazine It's that time of year again- school activities are winding down, NBA teams have headed into the championships and businesses are gearing up for the summer. No wonder the powers that be decided years ago to schedule the A merican Association of Orthodontists Annual Session during late spring, which gives us time to let the book fill up and return to an invigorated staff, a clean office, and patients ready to initiate treatment before school starts in fall. While I waited for the bus in front of the Orange County Convention Center, I thought I'd pen some thoughts on the most recent meeting before heading home to the desert and gaining three hours of time in my schedule (not to mention some dry heat!). In my 30-something-year career in orthodontics, I've attended almost every annual session-many times solo, often with my wife, sometimes the kids and even once in a while with my entire staff. This conclave allows everyone a chance to catch up, brag, complain or generally just socialize with those who share our profession, interests and experiences. For the past several years, the bulk of the meeting has been held over the weekend, giving more people a chance to attend without losing production at the office. Potentially disruptive orthodontic technologies such as clear aligner therapy, TADs and even advertising have been accepted and integrated into our routines. It's always good to take the pulse of the profession, and I'll summarize my thoughts according to the 3Ms of the profession- marketing, mechanics and management. Marketing It all starts here, and many familiar faces in the speaker roster re-emphasized The Orthotown booth was front and not-quite-center at this year's AAO Showcase in the exhibitors area of the Orange County Convention Center. (Did you stop by and sample the freshly made doughnuts?) the importance of customer service and exceptional patient relationships-or put another way, getting patients in the door. * Gabe Peralta described a patient's digital journey-his or her view of you and your practice from the first impression on the web. The steps involved in getting a patient digitally connected involve: discovering you, exploring the website, captivating with content, and converting into an exam. * Nancy Hyman explained a way to get the entire team involved in the marketing process (a concept that, I can speak from experience, is much more difficult that it should be). * Roger Levin has been a familiar name in orthodontics for at least the past 30 years, and offered to put a new face on your marketing approach. Levin emphasized that in addition to offering quality, the business model of today demands quantity-you need to get patients from a multitude of referral sources. Even if general dentists have reduced the number of patients they refer from their practices, family dentists still remain a primary and important source of referrals. Levin stressed the importance of the relationship between any referral source and the orthodontic practice. Mechanics Our specialty started with mechanics, and most of our time is still spent "putting plaster on the table." At this meeting, many common and sometimes unpleasant topics were addressed. * Hugo Travesi reintroduced a topic I encountered by accident, and through experimentation had good success. Those 8 JUNE 2016 // orthotown.com http://www.orthotown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown June 2016

Orthotown.com Highlights
Embrace Progress: AAO 2016 Recap
Class II Case: Extract, Forsus, or Surgery?
Corporate Profile: 12 Strategic Insights for Patient-Producing Postcards
What’s On Your Tray? Tray for Bonding Brackets
Clinical Orthodontics: A Glimpse of Today’s Residency
Software Solutions: In-house server or cloud-based system? The answer depends on your practice—and preferences
AAO Product Showcase
Anchors, a Way: Closing the spaces caused by congenitally missing teeth
Poll
Ad Index

Orthotown June 2016