1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,980 Hey there, dental professionals and industry enthusiasts. 2 00:00:03,600 --> 00:00:06,000 Picture this. It's October, and you're in the 3 00:00:06,000 --> 00:00:07,779 middle of one of the most transformative 4 00:00:08,160 --> 00:00:10,880 experiences of your career. You're at the Becker's 5 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:13,359 Fall Future of Dentistry Roundtable in the vibrant 6 00:00:13,359 --> 00:00:16,015 city of Chicago, fresh off an incredible 3 7 00:00:16,015 --> 00:00:19,155 days at the Hyatt Regency. Imagine yourself inspired 8 00:00:19,214 --> 00:00:19,954 and invigorated 9 00:00:20,255 --> 00:00:23,375 after attending captivating keynote sessions by none other 10 00:00:23,375 --> 00:00:26,690 than the legendary boxing world champion and CEO, 11 00:00:26,910 --> 00:00:28,769 Lila Elite, and the extraordinary 12 00:00:29,150 --> 00:00:32,750 professional basketball player, Caitlin Clark. See yourself engaged 13 00:00:32,750 --> 00:00:33,890 in lively discussions, 14 00:00:34,190 --> 00:00:36,909 exchanging ideas, and collecting a stack of business 15 00:00:36,909 --> 00:00:39,854 cards from fellow dental experts and potential partners. 16 00:00:40,414 --> 00:00:42,114 You've networked with over 350 17 00:00:42,655 --> 00:00:45,215 attendees and learned from more than 80 speakers 18 00:00:45,215 --> 00:00:47,475 who are at the forefront of dental innovation. 19 00:00:48,335 --> 00:00:51,534 You sat in on educational sessions exploring topics 20 00:00:51,534 --> 00:00:54,015 that elevate dental care as a critical element 21 00:00:54,015 --> 00:00:57,109 of whole person health. You've witnessed firsthand how 22 00:00:57,109 --> 00:00:58,969 digital technology is revolutionizing 23 00:00:59,510 --> 00:01:00,490 patient outcomes 24 00:01:00,870 --> 00:01:04,250 and how both large DSOs and independent practices 25 00:01:04,390 --> 00:01:07,270 are flourishing. Get ready to transform your career 26 00:01:07,270 --> 00:01:09,049 and don't miss out on this incredible 27 00:01:09,435 --> 00:01:12,495 opportunity. The Becker's fall future of dentistry roundtable 28 00:01:12,635 --> 00:01:15,935 is from October 30th to November 1, 2024. 29 00:01:16,474 --> 00:01:18,655 Get registered by going to beckersdental.com 30 00:01:20,075 --> 00:01:21,935 and clicking on the events page. 31 00:01:22,799 --> 00:01:25,280 Hello. This is Cameron Cortejano with the Becker's 32 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,299 Dental and DSO review podcast. 33 00:01:27,840 --> 00:01:29,599 I'm chose to be joined today by doctor 34 00:01:29,599 --> 00:01:32,500 Desmond Brown, vice president of oral and maxillofacial 35 00:01:32,880 --> 00:01:34,180 surgery support services 36 00:01:34,480 --> 00:01:37,165 at Aspen Dental. Doctor Brown, thank you so 37 00:01:37,165 --> 00:01:39,245 much for being here today. Thank you for 38 00:01:39,245 --> 00:01:42,045 having me. To start us off today, can 39 00:01:42,045 --> 00:01:44,525 you introduce yourself and tell us a little 40 00:01:44,525 --> 00:01:45,745 bit about your background? 41 00:01:46,284 --> 00:01:47,344 Sure. So 42 00:01:47,724 --> 00:01:50,305 as you mentioned, I am the vice president 43 00:01:50,444 --> 00:01:51,700 of oral and maxillofacial 44 00:01:52,399 --> 00:01:53,700 surgery support services. 45 00:01:54,879 --> 00:01:58,079 In conjunction, I'm also a surgeon at the 46 00:01:58,079 --> 00:01:58,579 ClearChoice 47 00:01:59,439 --> 00:02:01,459 Dental Implant Center in Indianapolis, 48 00:02:01,840 --> 00:02:03,619 and I'm also an attending 49 00:02:04,454 --> 00:02:06,394 faculty professor at Indiana University, 50 00:02:07,254 --> 00:02:09,354 oral and macular facial surgery program, 51 00:02:09,894 --> 00:02:11,194 where I mostly oversee, 52 00:02:11,735 --> 00:02:13,675 oral and macular facial surgery residents. 53 00:02:15,014 --> 00:02:16,474 Awesome. Thanks for that. 54 00:02:16,959 --> 00:02:19,280 The first question today today is what are 55 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:21,759 some of the biggest issues that you are 56 00:02:21,759 --> 00:02:22,739 currently following, 57 00:02:23,199 --> 00:02:24,900 in the dental industry this year? 58 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:27,300 So, Cameron, as you know, dentistry 59 00:02:27,840 --> 00:02:29,939 is a very stressful field, 60 00:02:30,479 --> 00:02:32,020 whether you are a 61 00:02:32,564 --> 00:02:34,504 general dentist or a specialist, 62 00:02:34,965 --> 00:02:36,344 especially an oral surgeon. 63 00:02:37,205 --> 00:02:40,564 There is tremendous debt for a general dentist 64 00:02:40,564 --> 00:02:42,104 that can be anywhere from 65 00:02:42,644 --> 00:02:43,864 graduating with 66 00:02:44,245 --> 00:02:44,745 350,000 67 00:02:45,044 --> 00:02:45,784 to $550,000 68 00:02:46,805 --> 00:02:49,219 in debt. If you're an oral surgeon with 69 00:02:49,219 --> 00:02:49,879 the additional, 70 00:02:50,819 --> 00:02:52,840 years of education, that can easily 71 00:02:53,139 --> 00:02:54,360 range from 550 72 00:02:55,219 --> 00:02:56,120 to $850,000. 73 00:02:58,180 --> 00:02:58,739 I'm also 74 00:02:59,715 --> 00:03:01,955 you know, common issues that I'm also following 75 00:03:01,955 --> 00:03:03,955 are, you know, the cost of starting a 76 00:03:03,955 --> 00:03:04,614 new practice. 77 00:03:05,715 --> 00:03:08,375 When you get out with the tremendous debt, 78 00:03:08,834 --> 00:03:10,754 there are so many things that you have 79 00:03:10,754 --> 00:03:11,894 to take into consideration, 80 00:03:12,594 --> 00:03:14,775 running a business, managing compliance, 81 00:03:15,629 --> 00:03:17,009 managing multiple employees. 82 00:03:17,949 --> 00:03:18,449 So, 83 00:03:19,389 --> 00:03:19,889 basically, 84 00:03:20,270 --> 00:03:21,330 looking at the overall, 85 00:03:23,229 --> 00:03:25,550 perspective of things, there are a number of 86 00:03:25,550 --> 00:03:26,849 things that graduating 87 00:03:27,865 --> 00:03:30,665 dentists, oral surgeon, specialists in general have to 88 00:03:30,665 --> 00:03:31,965 face when they graduate. 89 00:03:33,384 --> 00:03:33,884 Definitely. 90 00:03:34,264 --> 00:03:34,764 With 91 00:03:35,544 --> 00:03:36,044 that 92 00:03:36,425 --> 00:03:36,925 high 93 00:03:37,224 --> 00:03:39,004 amount of debt coming out for, 94 00:03:39,544 --> 00:03:42,444 many dentists, do you think and and also, 95 00:03:42,919 --> 00:03:45,000 like you mentioned, the high cost of just 96 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,019 opening and running a a practice, 97 00:03:48,120 --> 00:03:49,180 do you think that 98 00:03:49,959 --> 00:03:50,459 because 99 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:53,080 a lot of students and dentists are coming 100 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:55,159 out with so much debt that that is 101 00:03:55,159 --> 00:03:57,805 kind of pushing them away from from owning 102 00:03:57,805 --> 00:04:00,125 their own practices and kind of moving them 103 00:04:00,125 --> 00:04:02,864 towards maybe being an associate dentist at, 104 00:04:03,324 --> 00:04:05,724 someone else's practice or or maybe partnering with 105 00:04:05,724 --> 00:04:07,344 the DSO or something like that? 106 00:04:08,364 --> 00:04:10,544 Absolutely, Cameron. I think that 107 00:04:10,924 --> 00:04:12,625 based on everything I just mentioned, 108 00:04:13,379 --> 00:04:15,699 starting out a new practice is something that 109 00:04:15,699 --> 00:04:16,519 is overwhelming. 110 00:04:18,579 --> 00:04:21,079 And most of the dentists that graduate 111 00:04:21,540 --> 00:04:24,180 currently are looking for mentorship. They're looking for 112 00:04:24,180 --> 00:04:24,680 support, 113 00:04:25,235 --> 00:04:26,855 whether that is, you know, 114 00:04:27,314 --> 00:04:28,295 managing patients, 115 00:04:28,834 --> 00:04:31,795 managing the back path, doing the compliance issues. 116 00:04:31,795 --> 00:04:32,295 So 117 00:04:32,675 --> 00:04:34,535 as a young graduate, 118 00:04:35,634 --> 00:04:37,475 I would think that the 119 00:04:38,009 --> 00:04:39,689 one of the wisest not the only thing, 120 00:04:39,689 --> 00:04:40,810 but one of the things that you could 121 00:04:40,810 --> 00:04:43,129 do that could really help yourself is to 122 00:04:43,129 --> 00:04:44,430 join one of these many, 123 00:04:44,970 --> 00:04:46,350 dental support organizations 124 00:04:47,290 --> 00:04:48,430 that exist now. 125 00:04:49,290 --> 00:04:50,509 Got it. That makes sense. 126 00:04:51,224 --> 00:04:53,865 Something that I'm curious to get your thoughts 127 00:04:53,865 --> 00:04:55,245 about are what, 128 00:04:55,865 --> 00:04:57,865 are you most excited about when it comes 129 00:04:57,865 --> 00:04:58,524 to dentistry 130 00:04:59,144 --> 00:05:01,004 right now, and what are some things 131 00:05:01,384 --> 00:05:03,784 that are potentially making you a little bit 132 00:05:03,784 --> 00:05:05,004 concerned or nervous? 133 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:06,779 Well, 134 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:08,779 that was a good segue into 135 00:05:09,160 --> 00:05:10,620 why DSOs are 136 00:05:11,399 --> 00:05:14,680 a very good option now. I'm excited that, 137 00:05:14,680 --> 00:05:17,319 you know, I do work for Aspen. However, 138 00:05:17,319 --> 00:05:18,220 there are multiple, 139 00:05:18,894 --> 00:05:22,995 dental support organizations and management support organizations that 140 00:05:23,454 --> 00:05:24,435 can come in 141 00:05:25,375 --> 00:05:28,435 and help not only new graduates, but, actually, 142 00:05:28,894 --> 00:05:31,214 dentists and oral surgeons who have been practicing 143 00:05:31,214 --> 00:05:32,595 for years. So 144 00:05:32,930 --> 00:05:35,490 the same support that Aspen Dental provides, there 145 00:05:35,490 --> 00:05:38,069 are many other organizations that can come in 146 00:05:38,529 --> 00:05:39,509 and take over 147 00:05:39,970 --> 00:05:43,089 and just to make the practice feel as 148 00:05:43,089 --> 00:05:45,810 if, hey, my main goal here is to 149 00:05:45,810 --> 00:05:46,310 concentrate 150 00:05:46,610 --> 00:05:48,404 on the patients and taking care of the 151 00:05:48,404 --> 00:05:50,185 patients and not having to be 152 00:05:50,485 --> 00:05:52,504 a business person at the same time. 153 00:05:53,524 --> 00:05:54,345 Yeah. Absolutely. 154 00:05:54,725 --> 00:05:57,764 When it comes to a dentist, like, partnering 155 00:05:57,764 --> 00:05:58,585 with a DSO, 156 00:05:59,845 --> 00:06:02,349 what from from a dentist or a surgeon 157 00:06:02,349 --> 00:06:04,910 perspective, what should they kinda be looking for 158 00:06:04,910 --> 00:06:06,689 in that company or in that DSO, 159 00:06:07,550 --> 00:06:09,310 to make sure that, you know, they're the 160 00:06:09,310 --> 00:06:10,129 right fit, 161 00:06:10,990 --> 00:06:13,069 and and it makes sense for both the 162 00:06:13,069 --> 00:06:14,529 dentist and the DSO? 163 00:06:17,134 --> 00:06:18,035 Loaded question. 164 00:06:18,975 --> 00:06:21,134 It would it depends on where you are 165 00:06:21,134 --> 00:06:21,875 in your career. 166 00:06:22,175 --> 00:06:23,795 If you are just starting, 167 00:06:24,814 --> 00:06:26,194 I think mentorship 168 00:06:26,814 --> 00:06:28,355 is significantly important. 169 00:06:29,639 --> 00:06:31,480 When you got it from dental school, there's 170 00:06:31,480 --> 00:06:33,580 a lot that you do not know. 171 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:36,139 You probably know the theory. 172 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:38,139 You are going from seeing, 173 00:06:38,520 --> 00:06:40,759 you know, 2 patients for the entire day 174 00:06:40,759 --> 00:06:42,460 in a dental clinic to 175 00:06:42,854 --> 00:06:43,354 potentially 176 00:06:43,894 --> 00:06:46,214 seeing 8 to 10 patients a day, you 177 00:06:46,214 --> 00:06:48,474 have a very finite amount of time 178 00:06:49,014 --> 00:06:51,995 to build a relationship and build a rapport 179 00:06:52,294 --> 00:06:53,194 with the patient. 180 00:06:53,654 --> 00:06:54,154 So 181 00:06:54,535 --> 00:06:55,995 partnering with an organization 182 00:06:56,375 --> 00:06:58,899 that can help you not only 183 00:06:59,360 --> 00:06:59,860 to 184 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:01,379 better your, 185 00:07:01,759 --> 00:07:05,060 you know, patient facing experience, but also 186 00:07:05,599 --> 00:07:07,539 looking for a company that can also 187 00:07:07,919 --> 00:07:09,060 or an organization, 188 00:07:09,995 --> 00:07:12,154 for that matter, that can help you on 189 00:07:12,154 --> 00:07:14,074 the backside, how to manage the lab, how 190 00:07:14,074 --> 00:07:15,995 to manage your office manager, how to manage 191 00:07:15,995 --> 00:07:17,134 your front desk person. 192 00:07:18,074 --> 00:07:19,295 For a 193 00:07:20,235 --> 00:07:21,535 person who is senior, 194 00:07:22,259 --> 00:07:23,939 who has been working for a long time, 195 00:07:23,939 --> 00:07:25,539 there's a lot of issues that have to 196 00:07:25,539 --> 00:07:27,000 do with compliance and 197 00:07:27,539 --> 00:07:28,039 having 198 00:07:28,500 --> 00:07:31,159 HR and all the legal stuff. So 199 00:07:31,620 --> 00:07:33,959 if, personally, I would look for an organization 200 00:07:34,339 --> 00:07:37,240 that has all that stuff together, has everything 201 00:07:37,300 --> 00:07:37,459 that 202 00:07:38,154 --> 00:07:41,435 well, there's never everything, but the most important 203 00:07:41,435 --> 00:07:43,615 things that will help you to be successful. 204 00:07:45,754 --> 00:07:47,214 Got it. Thanks for that. 205 00:07:47,834 --> 00:07:50,814 And then just our last question today, 206 00:07:51,470 --> 00:07:53,790 In your view, what will the most effective 207 00:07:53,790 --> 00:07:56,430 health care leaders need in order to be 208 00:07:56,430 --> 00:07:56,930 successful, 209 00:07:57,470 --> 00:07:59,170 over the next 2 to 3 years? 210 00:08:00,910 --> 00:08:01,569 I believe, 211 00:08:01,949 --> 00:08:03,009 finding balance. 212 00:08:04,110 --> 00:08:05,595 You know, it's a very 213 00:08:06,154 --> 00:08:06,654 popular 214 00:08:07,115 --> 00:08:08,574 saying, work life balance, 215 00:08:10,074 --> 00:08:11,375 and, basically, 216 00:08:12,154 --> 00:08:13,694 finding balance between, 217 00:08:14,314 --> 00:08:16,475 being a good dentist, a good health care 218 00:08:16,475 --> 00:08:16,975 professional, 219 00:08:17,830 --> 00:08:19,610 and doing what is, you know, 220 00:08:20,069 --> 00:08:22,730 good or best for the patients, but, also, 221 00:08:22,870 --> 00:08:24,870 obviously, what's gonna work for you that's gonna 222 00:08:24,870 --> 00:08:26,009 give you longevity. 223 00:08:26,949 --> 00:08:28,090 I also think, 224 00:08:28,710 --> 00:08:30,730 staying abreast with innovation 225 00:08:31,110 --> 00:08:31,850 and technology 226 00:08:32,644 --> 00:08:34,264 Just like every other sector, 227 00:08:35,125 --> 00:08:36,264 currently out there, 228 00:08:37,284 --> 00:08:40,644 technology and innovation is rapidly increasing. There are 229 00:08:40,644 --> 00:08:41,465 things that 230 00:08:42,164 --> 00:08:43,784 when I was in dental school 231 00:08:45,009 --> 00:08:45,990 20 years ago, 232 00:08:46,529 --> 00:08:48,610 there are things that are not available now, 233 00:08:48,610 --> 00:08:51,649 things that can make patient care so much 234 00:08:51,649 --> 00:08:53,509 better, delivering up, 235 00:08:53,809 --> 00:08:55,490 you know, products such as I'll give you 236 00:08:55,490 --> 00:08:56,149 an example. 237 00:08:56,850 --> 00:08:57,889 If you're in a 238 00:08:59,225 --> 00:09:01,165 or a master of facial surgery practice, 239 00:09:01,625 --> 00:09:04,585 having a CBCT scan or things that you'd 240 00:09:04,585 --> 00:09:06,345 have to send a patient to the hospital 241 00:09:06,345 --> 00:09:08,365 for having in house 242 00:09:08,825 --> 00:09:09,804 digital printers, 243 00:09:10,745 --> 00:09:12,285 having an in house lab. 244 00:09:12,665 --> 00:09:13,165 So 245 00:09:13,730 --> 00:09:15,889 if you want for a health care profession, 246 00:09:15,889 --> 00:09:16,870 in my opinion, 247 00:09:17,570 --> 00:09:18,389 to be successful, 248 00:09:19,410 --> 00:09:21,649 there's couple of buckets that you have to 249 00:09:21,649 --> 00:09:24,210 hit. As I said, finding that balance and, 250 00:09:24,210 --> 00:09:26,629 again, staying abreast with innovation and technology. 251 00:09:28,554 --> 00:09:30,254 Definitely. That makes a ton of sense. 252 00:09:31,115 --> 00:09:32,815 Especially, I feel like dentistry, 253 00:09:34,235 --> 00:09:36,335 the tech and AI has 254 00:09:37,035 --> 00:09:40,475 really improved and and advanced a lot even 255 00:09:40,475 --> 00:09:43,330 within the last couple months to even, you 256 00:09:43,330 --> 00:09:45,029 know, a couple years. So 257 00:09:45,490 --> 00:09:47,250 definitely makes sense to to be on top 258 00:09:47,250 --> 00:09:47,830 of that. 259 00:09:48,929 --> 00:09:51,649 And you mentioned AI. I mean, there is 260 00:09:51,649 --> 00:09:52,149 multiple, 261 00:09:53,570 --> 00:09:55,029 companies know that, 262 00:09:55,384 --> 00:09:57,225 you know, we're all human. And if you 263 00:09:57,225 --> 00:09:57,725 are 264 00:09:58,264 --> 00:09:59,884 maybe on your 8th patient 265 00:10:00,264 --> 00:10:01,085 of the day, 266 00:10:01,705 --> 00:10:04,825 you may miss something on a X-ray that 267 00:10:04,825 --> 00:10:05,644 an AI 268 00:10:07,144 --> 00:10:09,250 program that can easily pick up and, you 269 00:10:09,250 --> 00:10:10,930 know, even to have you double check on 270 00:10:10,930 --> 00:10:13,410 yourself. So, again, yes, that's that's also a 271 00:10:13,410 --> 00:10:14,550 very important one. 272 00:10:15,250 --> 00:10:16,070 Yeah. Absolutely. 273 00:10:16,769 --> 00:10:19,410 Well, I wanna thank you for joining us 274 00:10:19,410 --> 00:10:22,210 today, doctor Brown, and and sharing your valuable 275 00:10:22,210 --> 00:10:25,134 expertise and insights into the dental space and 276 00:10:25,134 --> 00:10:25,954 in dentistry. 277 00:10:26,975 --> 00:10:28,894 It's been a pleasure speaking with you today, 278 00:10:28,894 --> 00:10:31,454 and I look forward to connecting with you 279 00:10:31,454 --> 00:10:32,995 again in the future sometime. 280 00:10:33,694 --> 00:10:36,274 Thank you, Cameron. Glad to be here. Appreciate 281 00:10:36,334 --> 00:10:36,995 the invite.