Orthotown December 2024 - 35

1. Seek similarity. Seeking connection over
an unshared interest makes one person feel
bored and the other feel patronized. Genuine
shared interests are eff ortless and invigorating
for both parties. If none are obvious,
ask open-ended questions until something
emerges. Th e fl ip side of this is avoiding
confl ict. Th ere is a time and place for debate,
but unless the debate itself is over a shared
interest, save this for later. If all else fails,
learn new passions together.
2. Time. Experts believe it takes approximately
60 hours for a light friendship to
develop, 100 hours for a full-fl edged friend
and more than 200 hours for a best friend.
No matter what you're shooting for, maintaining
consistent touch points is necessary
to give relationships a chance to fl ourish.
Don't overdo it, though. Read the person
and don't make a nuisance of yourself-they
should want to see you when they do.
3. Vulnerability. Signaling high status can
backfi re quickly. Signaling vulnerability is
known as a " costly signal " and indicates
that you are invested in the relationship.
Consider points of self-disclosure that can
indicate and build trust.
Communication
Good communication that is succinct, accurate
and engaging is foundational to any relationship.
Get to know your referring doctors and
communicate on their terms. Letters have been
a popular source of communication in the past.
However, nowadays, most doctors prefer email or
text messaging. When a phone call is warranted,
I always pre-arrange by having my front offi ce
staff set up a time with their offi ce. Th is avoids
the dreaded phone tag and ensures I am reaching
them at a convenient time. Consider that social
media is becoming less useful for attracting
new patients while becoming a more intimate
way to connect with your doctor network and
their teams. Make sure your content is directed
toward this audience. Keep referral pads simple
or consider a digital model like Bright Referral,
which can be popular with today's tech-savvy
doctors and patients. Finally, elicit feedback
to make sure you are subscribing to the platinum
rule: treat others as they would want to be
treated.
Conclusion
As we conclude, I hope you have gained insight
into practical methods to continue thriving in
your practice's adolescent phase. As you continue
your journey, I encourage you to subscribe
to the idea of amor fati (love of fate). We will all
experience the ups and downs of the sigmoid
curve multiple times in our careers. Whether we
are up or down, each of us in this moment has
something to be grateful for.
Without gratitude, no amount of external
reward will ever be enough. If we are grateful
for all we have, for our fates, then we will not be
distracted by disabling thoughts and can focus
instead on getting better every day. Th is perpetual
cycle of gratitude and improvement is what
we strive for. It is the true defi nition of success. OT
Dr. Andrew Sarpotdar is a boardcertified
orthodontist in private practice
with his wife, Dr. Jenny Sun, in the greater
Phoenix area. He attended dental school
at UCLA before earning a master's degree
in orthodontics from Columbia University
in 2013. Sarpotdar is a co-founder of the
Orthodontic Pearls Facebook group,
along with its corresponding annual
meeting, the Mother of Pearls Conference,
and is a strong advocate for collegiality
and shared learning within the profession.
DECEMBER 2024 | 35 | ORTHOTOWN.COM
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Orthotown December 2024

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