Ask and You Shall Receive, Part I

The idea of asking current patients and parents for referrals strikes fear in the heart of most orthodontists! We are professionals and we don’t beg or act “salesy!” I used to think the same...

You Did The Right Thing!

One morning when my son was about a year old, he had a fever and obviously didn’t feel well. It wasn’t much of a fever and he wasn’t having major issues but I could tell something wasn’t right...

Wanna Bet?

If you could go to Las Vegas and play a game where you bet $200 with a 98 percent chance of winning $5000, how many times would you make that bet?  Dumb question right? What about a 90% chance of win...

It’s So Obvious

I was showing our 7-year-old son how to use a cell phone so he could call us if he needed to. I kept telling him to “push the button that looks like a phone” but for some reason it wasn’t workin...

Mongolian Plumbing

The last time we were in Asia, we were told the story of Mongolian plumbing. I can’t speak to the truth of the story but the lesson is clear! Our tour guide explained to us that when the Mongols con...

Chinese Air Conditioning

As I’ve mentioned before, I love visiting China. Almost every time I do I learn something about the wide world and how we humans interact with it and one another! It was only after many years of vis...

Doctor, Please Shut Up and Get Out

There is an inverse relationship between the amount of time the doctor spends in the new patient consult and conversion rate. Let that sink in a minute and listen to all the voices in your head tellin...

Respect the Newcomer

  I’ve spent a good deal of time in China over the last 15 years. I love China – the people the places the sights the smells… the uniqueness. Spend enough time there or in any country that is v...

Should and Probably

Two of the most useless words in the English Language are Should and Probably. Any time I hear either, my ears perk up and I pay especially close attention to what is coming next because it will usual...

Sign, Share, Save The Profession

There are currently 615 signatures for the petition/open letter to the AAO BOT and HOD. While that may not seem like a huge number it is definitely significant. At 800 signatures we are talking abo...

5 More Things to Do Monday to Grow Your Practice

5 More Things to Do Monday to Grow Your Practice Tell the parents of observation patients they did the right thing – People are scared of doctors. They don’t understand the words we use and they a...