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As some of you know, our long time secretary, Donna has announced her retirement. Donna will be the first employer in my 39 year career in the Capital District that has ever retired. Donna had a tough last two years with her health which is why she has decided that she didn't want to work any more.
We thank Donna for the wonderful job that she did as our secretary...the first person that you talked to or met when you came to our office. We also thank her for her loyalty.
Please join our office in wishing Donna a long and healthy life in retirement.
Friday, April 27, 2018
39 Times 3
On Thursday, I saw three of my patients that I have taken care of for 39 years each.
One patient has every tooth that she had when she became my patient in 1979. Another patient lost one tooth in 39 years and the last patient continues to get tooth decay and has lost many teeth.
The first two patients are the norm; most of my long term patients have every single tooth that they had when they became my patient. The last patient was a single mother and had a challenging life.
So why do my long term patients have all of the teeth?
BECAUSE I NEVER CUT DOWN THEIR TEETH FOR CROWNS SO THAT I COULD MAKE MORE MONEY.
Crowns may be a necessary evil but they are still evil. The most traumatic thing that you can do for a tooth is to cut it down for a crown. This makes no sense.
In my new ad in HERLIFE magazine, we are advertising for regular dental patients rather than for cosmetic or comprehensive/complex treatment patients. In the ad it says, "Sometimes Less Dentistry Is More." This means that it is our office goal to allow you to keep all of your teeth for a lifetime. How do we do that? By not cutting down your teeth for MY BENEFIT i.e. profit. We will not cut down your teeth so that I can make more money. We work very hard so that you will keep your teeth AND we earn less money than dentists that destroy tooth structure for profit.
Think about this.
One patient has every tooth that she had when she became my patient in 1979. Another patient lost one tooth in 39 years and the last patient continues to get tooth decay and has lost many teeth.
The first two patients are the norm; most of my long term patients have every single tooth that they had when they became my patient. The last patient was a single mother and had a challenging life.
So why do my long term patients have all of the teeth?
BECAUSE I NEVER CUT DOWN THEIR TEETH FOR CROWNS SO THAT I COULD MAKE MORE MONEY.
Crowns may be a necessary evil but they are still evil. The most traumatic thing that you can do for a tooth is to cut it down for a crown. This makes no sense.
In my new ad in HERLIFE magazine, we are advertising for regular dental patients rather than for cosmetic or comprehensive/complex treatment patients. In the ad it says, "Sometimes Less Dentistry Is More." This means that it is our office goal to allow you to keep all of your teeth for a lifetime. How do we do that? By not cutting down your teeth for MY BENEFIT i.e. profit. We will not cut down your teeth so that I can make more money. We work very hard so that you will keep your teeth AND we earn less money than dentists that destroy tooth structure for profit.
Think about this.
They Finally Closed
The Bruegger's Bagel Store in Saratoga Springs closed its doors for good.
As many of you know, I have had a running battle with Bruegger's for 15-20 years.
As many of you know, I have had a running battle with Bruegger's for 15-20 years.
- They didn't want to take the time to bake their bagels to make them golden brown instead of white.
- The ran out of plain bagels on a Sunday morning but had plenty of orange bagels.
- They had no plain cream cheese on a Sunday morning.
In the biggest picture, Bruegger's couldn't do what they said they were there to do: make well baked bagels.
They deserved to fail.
When I can no longer take care of you at the highest possible level, then I would deserve to fail as well.
The Reason That Health Care Costs So Much
When I started as a dentist in the late 1970s, the better insurance companies paid up to 92% of the fee that I charged. That means, that on every $100 that I charged a patient, the insurance company paid $92 and the patient paid $8. Today, insurance companies will pay 20%-30% of my fees.
WHY?????
Because they pay the CEO too much and they build a 10-15% profit for their shareholders when back in the day, Blue Cross/Blue Shield were non profit organizations.
I just think that you should know.
Wednesday, April 25, 2018
Finally
The Bruegger's Bagel store in Saratoga Springs closed its doors this week. My long time blog readers remember my long running feud with Bruegger's because they were a bagel store that did not have any plain bagels or plain cream cheese on a Sunday morning...Both felonies in my mind.
I have called Bruegger's headquarters and written letters of disappointment to management but no one cared. This week Bruegger's Saratoga store closed and for good reason.
They were incapable of delivering great care or concern.
I have called Bruegger's headquarters and written letters of disappointment to management but no one cared. This week Bruegger's Saratoga store closed and for good reason.
They were incapable of delivering great care or concern.
Trust
A patient had an appointment today to have an onlay fabricated for a tooth that had a very old large silver mercury filling. An onlay is a laboratory processed ceramic restoration placed when a filling or a cavity is very large and the tooth would be at risk for fracturing if another filling was placed. I don't place many onlays (relatively speaking) because the direct bonded resin restorations that I place are done extremely well and last 2 decades. Onlays also cost three and a half times what my direct resin restorations cost so it is definitely in MY best (financial) interest to place onlays instead of direct resin fillings.
My patient of 34 years was given some novocaine, had the rubber dam placed 10 minutes later and I removed all of the old silver mercury filling. Of course there was tooth decay under the old filling...there always is. I used my good clinical judgement to tell Jeanine, my long time assistant that I was going to place a direct restoration instead of a ceramic onlay.
The direct resin turned out great and when I completed treatment, I informed my patient that she had saved $1300 today because I didn't think that her tooth needed anything more than a filling.
MY patients TRUST ME to do the right thing and I will ALWAYS place YOUR best interest ahead of MY financial interest.
It is the right thing to do; it is the ONLY thing to do.
My patient of 34 years was given some novocaine, had the rubber dam placed 10 minutes later and I removed all of the old silver mercury filling. Of course there was tooth decay under the old filling...there always is. I used my good clinical judgement to tell Jeanine, my long time assistant that I was going to place a direct restoration instead of a ceramic onlay.
The direct resin turned out great and when I completed treatment, I informed my patient that she had saved $1300 today because I didn't think that her tooth needed anything more than a filling.
MY patients TRUST ME to do the right thing and I will ALWAYS place YOUR best interest ahead of MY financial interest.
It is the right thing to do; it is the ONLY thing to do.
Monday, April 16, 2018
My New Ads
In case people have noticed, I have recently started marketing other 'regular' dentistry and not just cosmetic treatment. I am a general dentist that limits my practice to fixing teeth and restoring implants. My treatment can be very simple: Direct bonded resin fillings all day long
Or
Major cases where I am performing a full mouth rehabilitation with or without implants.
Human beings are VISUAL which is why I market my cosmetic cases...Having Beautiful Teeth is a big attraction for many people but it also does not interest many people as well.
I want to do basic dentistry for those patients that want and appreciate fine restorative dentistry. That means that I do not want to be everyone's dentist. Just as important, many people do not want ME to be their dentist because they don't value wonderful dentistry and they will not pay for it as well.
I always feel that it is necessary to remind people that I am a 'regular' dentist as well as a cosmetically oriented dentist. If you know folks that truly want beautiful dentistry, please tell them about our office.
Or
Major cases where I am performing a full mouth rehabilitation with or without implants.
Human beings are VISUAL which is why I market my cosmetic cases...Having Beautiful Teeth is a big attraction for many people but it also does not interest many people as well.
I want to do basic dentistry for those patients that want and appreciate fine restorative dentistry. That means that I do not want to be everyone's dentist. Just as important, many people do not want ME to be their dentist because they don't value wonderful dentistry and they will not pay for it as well.
I always feel that it is necessary to remind people that I am a 'regular' dentist as well as a cosmetically oriented dentist. If you know folks that truly want beautiful dentistry, please tell them about our office.
Rumors/Why Do People Make Things Up?
I was speaking with Dr. Banchs last week and he informed me that he had examined a patient that I had seen ONCE ,for a severe toothache. Dr. Banchs asked her why she was not being treated in Dr. Benjamin's office? She responded by saying, "He is moving to Charlotte."
Now Really..........
Last year one of my neighbors on the 5th floor informed me that there was a rumor going around that I was retiring very soon.
Hmmmm......
Everyone that has asked me about retirement has been told the same thing... FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
I will NOT do what many dentists do which is to tell their staff in the morning that a new dentist/owner will be starting this afternoon and this is 'good bye.' Everyone will know when it is time for me to leave...but not anytime soon.
Take that to the bank.
Now Really..........
Last year one of my neighbors on the 5th floor informed me that there was a rumor going around that I was retiring very soon.
Hmmmm......
Everyone that has asked me about retirement has been told the same thing... FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
I will NOT do what many dentists do which is to tell their staff in the morning that a new dentist/owner will be starting this afternoon and this is 'good bye.' Everyone will know when it is time for me to leave...but not anytime soon.
Take that to the bank.
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