Well, I’m 60 now and getting a lot of questions about how much longer I plan on working, so let’s discuss!  Turning 60 is a milestone in life, and for some people, it may signify the nearing end of their working career. However, for others, it may be just the beginning of a new chapter in their lives. For those who have a passion for their work, retirement may not be an option they want to pursue. I fit squarely in this camp.

The business of dental practice is not just a profession for some dentists, it is a calling, and for me, the opportunity to help people maintain their oral health and improve their smile is immensely rewarding. The dental industry is constantly evolving, and there is always something new to learn, making it an exciting and stimulating field to work in. Currently in our practice, we are pursuing the emerging use of AI to enhance interpretation of xrays, biotechnology to enhance healing associated with bone grafting, and computer-assisted navigation for implant placement. For a gadget geek, this is fun stuff!

Clinical dentistry is a profession that requires a high level of skill and expertise, which can take years to acquire. Many dentists who have spent decades perfecting their craft may not want to put it on the shelf. And, it’s not just the technical skills that keep dental practitioners engaged; it is the relationships they have built with their patients. These relationships are often built over several years, and dentists may feel a sense of responsibility towards their patients. I know I do.

In conclusion, my work is not work for me; it’s actually my number one hobby. I have other hobbies—many of you are aware I am a musician—but none offer the thrills and chills of running a large dental practice! I come in every day and engage with an amazing staff, amazing patients and amazing technology. I use my hands and mind to create oral health solutions for a wide range of conditions and a wide range of personalities, and it is my goal to continue to do this at a high level for another 12 – 15 years. I invite each of you to continue with me on this fun journey. So, let’s get going!

Dr. Timothy E. Gillespie

The post A Personal Message from Dr. Gillespie first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

Keeping up with technology can be difficult. Think about the number of smartphones and computers you’ve purchased for yourself and your family in recent years.  It continues to change and evolve rendering older devices slow or even inoperative. Plus, let state the obvious, it’s EXPENSIVE!

Dentistry is far from an exception. We’ve got: dental software, digital x-rays, CBCT (cone-beam computed tomography) systems, intra-oral cameras, the X-Guide for navigating dental implant surgeries, digital scanners for taking impressions and the list goes on! Our minds continue to be put to the test but quite honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. We believe that remaining on the cutting edge, implementing the latest technology the dental industry has to offer, is essential.

TECHNOLOGY IS ESSENTIAL.

We’d love to take this opportunity to introduce you to Pearl Artificial Intelligence, our most recent acquisition. Essentially, this software gives our doctors a “second set of eyes.” Immediately upon taking X-rays, Pearl has the capability of diagnosing nine different diseases and/or dental conditions.

For example, it can detect decay in its earliest stages and abscesses before they become painful or problematic. It lets the doctors know if a root canal is recommended, if periodontal disease is present or even if the margins of existing restorations need attention. This is a huge win for everyone involved!

How Everyone Benefits From Pearl Artificial Intelligence:

• It ensures consistency, helping our doctors remain calibrated
• Increases efficiency and accuracy
• It provides our doctors a “second opinion”
• It aids in patient communication through easy to read visual graphics
• Provides further verification to insurance companies helping to secure reimbursements
• Diagnosing dental conditions early on helps prevent them from worsening or becoming more costly

We firmly believe that by investing in technology, we are improving the quality of patient care that we can offer. We are very excited to be able to add Pearl Artificial Intelligence to our practice and look forward to sharing it with all of you.

The post Cutting Edge Dental Technology: Pearl AI first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

Take a look at our offerings and call our office if you’re interested in setting up a consultation with one of our doctors!

Professional Tooth Whitening:

Professional tooth whitening is a relatively inexpensive way to make a dramatic statement.

Take-home teeth whitening is a simple, effective and convenient treatment that may enhance your smile and improve the appearance of your teeth. Our Zoom take-home whitening kits can help lighten the stains and discolorations caused by foods, drinks, tobacco use, medication, poor dental hygiene, age and other factors so that you can once again enjoy the benefits of a brilliant white smile.

Our skilled clinicians will begin by taking an impression of your teeth. This impression will be used to create customized whitening trays. After your trays have been made, we will provide you with a powerful Zoom whitening gel. You may wear your trays when it’s convenient for you, day or night. Over the course of several weeks, you should see noticeable improvement in the color of your teeth.

Dental Bonding:

Dental bonding is a cosmetic procedure wherein composite resin material is used to close spaces between teeth, improve misshapen teeth or restore chipped or cracked teeth.  This is a simple and relatively affordable way to dramatically improve the aesthetic appearance of your smile.

The putty-like resin is color matched to your existing teeth and is then shaped and sculpted by one of our talented dentists. After it hardens, it is trimmed and polished resulting in a lasting restoration and a picture – perfect smile.

Dental Crowns:

Dental crowns are oftentimes used to restore teeth that are badly damaged or decayed; they are also a mainstay in cosmetic dentistry. They greatly improve the appearance of teeth that are cracked, broken or show signs of severe wear due to clenching or grinding.

Dental crowns are long-term, full-coverage restorations that are placed over the existing, prepared tooth. They come in a variety of materials including gold, silver and porcelain. Porcelain is oftentimes preferred as it can be matched beautifully with your existing smile.

Veneers:

Veneers are very thin layers of either composite or porcelain that are bonded to the teeth to provide protection and improve the aesthetic appearance of your smile. Our dentists may recommend veneers to correct several types of smile imperfections:

• Close large spaces and gaps between teeth
• Whiten teeth that are severely stained or discolored
• Improve the appearance of irregularly shaped teeth
• Correct slightly crooked teeth
• Restore teeth that are broken, chipped, worn or fractured

Let us help create that beautiful smile you’ve always wished for! Call our office for a consultation today.

The post It’s Dental Smiles Month! first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

In trouble or in pain.

With the thoughts that I’d be thinkin’,

I could be another Lincoln,

If I only had a brain.

–Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz

Therefore, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Universitatus Committeeatum E Pluribus Unum, I hereby confer upon you the Honorary Degree of ThD….Doctor of Thinkology!

–Wizard to Scarecrow, The Wizard of Oz

Thus spake the Wizard and thus it is so.  Just like the Scarecrow, I received a diploma recently.  But instead of a Doctor of Thinkology, I got a Master’s in Business Administration.  Why, many people have asked me, do you need an MBA?  You’ve been in business for almost 25 years; don’t you think you know how to run a business?  To which I answer, yes, yes I do!  But, I’m always looking for continuous improvement.  Formally honing my business skills in the changing landscape of healthcare has provided an interesting and intriguing way to improve my practice outside of the clinical arena and I’m so happy to have found some new tools to that end.  I’ve actually been applying new methods to our business operations from month one in the program and have been pleased with the results.  So, time well spent!  Or, in MBA-speak, the opportunity costs and monetary costs incurred in the venture were outweighed by the improvements in performance and throughput.  Dang, that made my brain hurt!

The post If I Only Had a Brain first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

Timothy E. Gillespie, DMD & Staff

The post Happy New Year! first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

The post Season’s Greetings! first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

Brittany Chovan falls somewhere in between.  This pint-size package of positivity (and in pink!) entered our workplace as a fill-in hygienist and we wouldn’t let her leave.  She showed up at a time when we were building a full-time hygiene position, but were only at the point we needed a flexible part-timer; that arrangement fit her schedule perfectly as she was in the process of finishing her undergrad degree before moving on to the bright lights, big city somewhere.

Brittany has been a compete joy to work with:  the patients love her, the staff loves her, and she does a great job clinically.  And she graduated.  I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone snatched her up, and that was the case.  Brittany is Nashville’s newest dental supply rep, gone to work for one of the nation’s largest dental suppliers, Patterson Dental.  I’ve put her in touch with my dental classmates there, as well as a hugely successful college classmate (shout out to Clifton Lambreth, www.cliftonlambreth.com!) and my close friends, the Urbans (okay, that’s a lie), so I think we’ve done right by her here at 36 Orange Street.

It’s great to have good people come into your life, for no matter how long, and we are happy to have been Brittany’s dental home for a lot longer than either of us expected.  So, while I started my post alluding to the title of a Beatles song, I’ll end with a parting word from the Eagles:  Just like the Hotel California, Brittany, in our dental practice, “you can check out any time you like, but you can never leave…”  We’ll miss your cheery, bubbly personality, but are so happy for you in your new life chapter.  Bye, bye, Brittany.  Cue guitar solo.

The post She’s Leaving Home: Brittany Moves On first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

One of the ways in which this concept manifests itself is that I take these guys on a trip about every 2 or 3 years.  Somewhere fun, like NYC or Jamaica, or most recently, the Dominican Republic (or now that we’re on a first-name basis with it, the “DR”).  We get there and have no formalized agenda, unless there is a show or restaurant which requires a reservation; just throw on your Speedo—okay, that’s a lie—and have fun.  Simple, right?

But, it’s amazing the level of camaraderie and cohesion that develops just traipsing around Manhattan or a beach somewhere.  The number of wisecracks and bon mots slowly rise to a fever pitch, until everyone is crying…from laughter, and that is something you can’t go back and share with anyone.  You just have to be there—that’s where the magic lives.

With this bunch, mostly due to one to-remain-unnamed hygienist, we have to make a pyramid, which leads to another level of laughter and wisecracks, but somehow memorializes what we do and the fun we have together—and lends itself to a whole ‘nother philosophical treatise on the importance of support in team-building.  The photograph above tells the tale.

Simple, right?

The post The Simple Math of Building Teams…and Pyramids first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

But…I lied.  I don’t work on people’s teeth.  Yes, it is true that I did that for many years—but not now.

After 18 years, “working on people’s teeth” is no reason to get out of bed.  You can only do so many dental restorations before routine dentistry becomes…well, routine.

So, you have to move.  Your mind.

To a higher purpose.  Here’s how:  Rolex will tell you they don’t sell watches—they sell luxury.  Ritz-Carlton will tell you they are not a hotel chain—they are the gold standard of hospitality.  I don’t “work on people’s teeth”—I enhance their quality of life.

A stretch?  I don’t think so.  And at 48, that’s about all that matters.  And… it gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

Enhancing someone’s quality of life.  That’s the kind of thing I can do for a long time.

What do you do for a living?

The post What Do You Do For A Living? first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.

I have to admit it:  I still become very kid-like whenever I fly.  Whenever possible, I get the window seat so I can gaze out at the landscape as we take off, cruise, and land—there’s something about the change of perspective that I find very relaxing.

And so it will be tomorrow morning when I take off for NYC–the Big Apple, Gotham.  A group of friends and I are making our yearly trip to the US Open Tennis Tournament, which will also include a Broadway play, a guy’s lunch at our favorite Irish pub (fish & chips on Friday!), some fine dining, and probably a Yankee’s game.  Definitely a change in perspective.

But before all that, I’ll peruse the Eastern Seaboard for an hour and a half, wondering what all of those dentists down there in DC, then Baltimore, then Philly, then Manhattan, are doing to make their practices successful.

And, inevitably, throughout my trip I’ll spend a lot of time observing the different levels of customer service I’ll receive and make parallels with my own office:  Am I being helped in my effort to have a good dinner or hotel experience?  In the cab or store, am I being treated in a way that exhibits a base level of mutual respect, or am I just a number?  How am I treating the people who are trying to help me?  Fun, fun, fun, with a heavy dose of customer service case studies.

Back in the office on Tuesday, I’ll be sharing a few new NYC stories, and no doubt, a refreshed perspective on dental practice management, compliments of the city that never sleeps.  Hmmm, I wonder if that means I can write the whole trip off?

The post Dental Practice Management & The View From 30,000 Feet first appeared on Gillespie Dental Associates.