Laser! Laser! Laser!

By Brian Toorani DDS

If you are reading this article, I am sure you are one of thousands concerned with our economy and our way of life. Every day we hear about unemployment, recession, default rates, foreclosures, and business being down! Well that's not what this article is all about. This article is about being different and standing out from the crowd! This article is about embracing technology and wanting more from ourselves and our daily habits. It's about being better than most others and creating value for our patients. This article is about abundance and positivity.

I purchased my first laser, a Waterlase MD, in October of 2007. In January of 2008, I purchased my second laser, a Biolase ezlase Diode laser. Just like many of you, I was concerned with the cost of the lasers and the return on my investments. For over 3 months, I tracked my production with the lasers very carefully. I created a spread sheet that showed the date of the procedures, the patient names, and production amount for each procedure. I needed to see that I was at least covering my monthly payments for the new lasers. To be realistic with my numbers, I only tracked procedures that I would normally not have been able to do without the lasers. Most procedures done were gingivectomy, crown lengthening, fibrotomy, frenectomy, and laser pocket-reduction therapy. I was impressed to see that at the end of my third month, I had not only covered my payments, but also had gained an additional $2400 in production. We also started seeing patients who expected and wanted more modern and pain-free dentistry. For the first time, we had patients coming in just because we utilized lasers! We had truly created raving fans that had come a long way to seek treatment in our office.

With our new laser technology, we became more efficient by saving patients time and discomfort. We learned to provide a better, more gentle style of dentistry and also learned to stop operating like tooth assassins and save natural tooth structure with more non-invasive procedures. Ultimately, we began to treat our patients the way we wanted to be treated! Our lasers have truly set us apart from most other practices in our area. Much of our current success is due to the successful implementation of modern technology in dentistry.

We learned to provide a better, more gentle style of dentistry and also learned to stop operating like tooth assassins and save natural tooth structure with more non-invasive procedures.

In these difficult economic times, it is very important that we create value for our patients. It is important to be better than most others and to stand out from the crowd! It is important to provide the best care possible. We must raise the bar on how we do things and challenge ourselves to get outside of our comfort zone, learn new procedures, and utilize the incredible new technologies that dentistry now has to offer. If you love what you do, then this is the time to learn to do it better! If you love dentistry as I do, then I challenge you to learn what lasers can do for you. Lasers are becoming the standard of care and if you don't have one, you are falling behind everyone else. Lasers are no longer a thing of the future. They are here and your patients expect it. The choice is yours. Do you want to wow your patients and provide them with the best in dental care? Or are you OK with them going to another office because you were too set in your ways? As coach John Wooden said: "Things turn out BEST for those who make the BEST of the way things turn out!" We must try to provide the highest quality of care by utilizing all the best dentistry has to offer! Before believing the media and all the negative influence out there, I encourage you to look within yourself. Think more positively! Change your attitude and become more enthusiastic. Find out who you are, what you do and who you do it for. See your vision clearly and stick to it! Cherish your relationship with your team and your patients. Have fun and make the best of the way things are!

Dr. Brian Toorani is the Owner of Dental Oasis Of Orange County, located in Huntington Beach, CA. He practices full time and can be contacted via E-mail at: DrToorani@DentalOasisOfOC.com