Heritage Construction Joins Northern Dental Alliance

When dentists are building or remodeling dental offices, they want to make sure the process goes well. But more importantly, the building needs to function efficiently and effectively for the team, the patients and the doctor day in and day out.

As a consultant to dentists and a member and founder of Northern Dental Alliance, I try to weave everything possible into the mix to make success possible. I am excited to introduce and promote Heritage - a dental office construction company with all the tools required to build a dental practice that works for everyone involved.

NEW NDA MEMBER

Northern Dental Alliance welcomes new member Heritage Construction Companies, LLC of Elk River, MN. Heritage has developed numerous dental practices and other healthcare related offices throughout the state and region, as well as other retail and commercial sites.

Their membership in the Northern Dental Alliance shows a commitment to serving their dentist clients in a comprehensive way with long-term success as the goal. From the dental operatory and reception area design to the most efficient and cost-effective office building process, Heritage Construction has developed the resources to help dentists create their dream practice.

Heritage owner, Andy Christensen says, “What I think about first is 'service' - and how our company is focused on it. I built my construction firm around a collaborative service-oriented approach. I consider the ‘service attitude’ Heritage employees inject into the dental industry as vital to its success. And we achieve success for our dentist clients by taking this servant mindset to work with us every single day."

Heritage Construction began in 2004 when Andrew Christensen started the general contractor business to serve the Northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota and into Central Wisconsin to build commercial and retail buildings that fit the needs of the business, the business owner and the area.

Elk River based builder, Heritage Construction is committed to developing and building their dentist clients’ offices with the highest level of integrity and professionalism. They manage each project from start to finish and more. A parallel goal is to make the budget better. Their dental practices (and other buildings) come in many shapes and sizes. Heritage Construction can build or expand any location, bringing clients the expertise and knowledge required to meet their needs.

Heritage Construction Companies, LLC, serves clients with unmatched business professionalism. Work environments are based on respect and to be rewarding and fun. Alliances with subcontractors and suppliers are formed to enhance job site safety, productivity and cost effectiveness. Serving their clients honorably typifies their business relationships.

Again Andy Christensen, "We have been successfully building, remodeling and servicing dental clinics for the many years. With our combined knowledge, experience and skill set, we have become experts in the dental industry. Many dentists in Minnesota and the surrounding states already know about our construction company, whether we have built or remodeled their practice or not. This is because we support the Northwest Dentistry Journal and regularly participate in dental events, including attending the main three MN dental meetings every year.”

Learn more about Heritage by visiting the Northern Dental Alliance website: click here.

Visit their website, HeritageConstructionMN.com

Sincerely,

Dick Chwalek - Dental Marketing Consultant and Dentist Coach

NicheDental.com

Call 866-453-1026

Start Developing Your Connective Communication Strategy.

Michigan Dentist Completes Fellowship Program in Dental Implants

Dental implants save smiles, transform health and rejuvenate lives.

Once you realize how many people loose their teeth by the age of 65 in this country and you quickly understand the value of this service.

I have worked with dental laboratories and implant dentists for over almost 14 years. It still amazes me how many people just don't know about or appreciate what implant dentistry can do for people who have lost teeth, which occurs very often because of untreated gum disease.

Something like 50% of adults 20 and over - who are not considered in poverty have gingival bleeding (HHS Dental Health Data). Bleeding gums are an early sign of periodontal disease, the leading cause of tooth loss in adults.

When this tooth ravager has had its run of your mouth for more than a few years, the teeth start to loosen and the jaw bone turns to mush. Dental Implants offer the only way back out of this devastating predicament.

Just read a few stories about dental implant patients and then look into the science of this treatment. Then when a dentist says it will cost a couple thousand dollars or so to replace a tooth, rather than balk at the high fee - think about what it will cost you to say good bye to your ability to chew as well as watch in high def your jaw recede farther back than your hairline.

It might bite when your dental bill knocks your saving account for a loop, but think about how no bite is is much worse...

Remember, there is very little need to spend all your health care dollars on Bob Dole's E-D remedy when gumming your food during the next candlelight dinner once again graphically diminishes that see Alice moment.

Also no good reason to plunk down all the green for Joan Rivers' plastic surgery when spitting your dentures into your girl friend's handbag occurs every time a handsome dude across the room winks at you.

NOTE: Of course, if someone has a phobia of toothpicks, it's obvious this blog is mostly barking up the wrong tree about the need for teeth. Inversely that would mean a good bite is worse than a bark.

That is Why Touting Dentists and their Training is PR EVERY Consumer NEEDS To know about. Public Relations for Public Health awareness. Bringing NEW meaning to the old Dental News adage - if it BLEEDS it LEADS to tooth loss.

Blog entry by Dick Chwalek

- Niche Dental Marketing Coach and Communication Consultant

MICHIGAN IMPLANT DENTIST COMPLETES FELLOWSHIP

Traverse City dentist Dr. Brian Klym recently completed the Misch Implant Institute yearlong Fellowship training program. This comprehensive series of post graduate dental courses is recognized as the implant training gold standard.

Founded in 1984, the world-renowned Misch Institute helps set and elevate the level of implant dentistry using a hands-on training approach. Dentists attend classes on diagnosis, implant case planning and patient evaluation, and all phases of dental implant treatment. Each course includes lectures and hands-on laboratory sessions for both removable and fixed prosthodontics.

Dr. Klym started his implant hands on coursework many years ago, receiving a fellowship from the ICOI in 1998 (International Congress of Oral Implantologist). His patients are receiving an ever higher level of care and his continued implant training will help insure long-term, healthy results for his patients.

Actual Patient Results Achieved With Dr. Klym's Implant Dentistry Training:First, Dr. Klym’s patient M. H. had congenitally missing teeth - central and lateral incisor - left side and front of smile. The teeth were moved with orthodontics to make room for placing dental implants, which were restored with 360 degree porcelain veneers. The patient came in with a partial denture, which she had worn most of her adult life.

This type of denture is called a flipper because of the visual effect it produces. In online examples, Dr. Klym provides photos showing how well the gum tissue healed around the implant site.

Another patient, Tom, discussed his implant care: “About a year and a half ago my tooth broke. While it affected my chewing and eating, what had the most effect was how embarrassed I was about missing a tooth. Essentially, I quit smiling. Since I was going to need an implant, I was also glad Dr. Klym had training in oral sedation dentistry.”

After Treatment, Tom commented, “I can chew and eat just like I could before. Even though having the dental implant (with a natural looking restoration) has increased my confidence a lot, I need to learn to smile again.” His dental implant treatment photos are found on NorthwoodDentalTC.com

Brian P. Klym, DDS, is the owner of Northwood Dental in Traverse City. He has certification from DOCS—an oral conscious sedation program, which means he can provide a high level of comfort to his patients during implant treatment. Visit Dr. Klym’s website to learn more about his background and the comprehensive services he provides.

NDA Member Says Fiduciary Financial Advisor Protects Against Conflict of Interest

> Fiduciary - It Is Worth A lot!

When does a dentist know when a financial advisor is working in their best interest? Only one of these terms, fiduciary or suitability, reflects the highest level of protection for a dentist's investments.
Fee-only financial advisor and professional wealth building consultant, Rick Epple, CFP® of Epple Financial Advisors, recommends dentists know the difference and understand how to find to the best planner. The responsibility your advisor has to you and your financial interests should be more important than any other entity.

Rick has an independent perspective and believes dentists should develop a relationship with a financial planner that is scrubbed of conflict of interests. He recently found an article about this issue, which also references his focus on making sure dentists get an independent view of how to manage their money and investments and secure their financial future.

One example of his focus on working in your best interest is providing the kind of independent financial education found in the article noted below.

Lead In Article Synopsis: of Nov. 22, 2009 Article...
Paydirt: Financial advisers don't all follow the same rules

• KARA McGUIRE, Star Tribune

Normally I stay away from financial jargon in these columns. But this column is about financial jargon. With a debate raging in Washington about reforming the regulations governing the financial advice industry to better protect investors, there are some terms you need to understand.

• The first term is "fiduciary."
• Then there's the term "suitability"

To read the entire article, click Financial advisers don't all follow the same rules.

> Note: Articles maybe archived by Star Tribune after 14 days.

Kara McGuire. • 612-673-7293 or kmcguire@startribune.com.

Follow Kara on Twitter: www.twitter.com/kablog.

> Rick is also a founder and member of the Northern Dental Alliance (NDA)

Marketing Consulting: Wrap Your Brain Around Communication

Marketing is communication. Communication makes things work. Nothing happens or changes without a heavy dose of communication. Dental patients, dentists, and dentistry offices all work (or don't) with gears greased with communication and the marketing surrounding it.

Of course the brain is alway there to mess everything up. It falls into stereotypes. Travels down the rabbit hole of wackiness. Leaps across the logic wall.

One of the most influential tidbits of scientific information I have ever learned about how our brain works is its connection with our eyes. Basically, we make things up - because the communication between our eyes and our brain has a tenth of a second delay.

While I am not totally versed on this science (some info and links below) it has significant potential to cause us to think and do many things that are not very likely to produce the results we expect - when it is all said and done (to our wallets in many cases).

Our brains are marketing to us without our knowledge or understanding of its impact in many areas of our life. Dental patients want inexpensive care or someone else to pay for it (insurance companies) and dentists want marketing that is guaranteed, easy to do themselves, or nearly free.

Dental marketing consultants/coaches like myself wish for dentist-clients who understand all of these things and appreciate the complexities of the 'right marketing plan'. While at the same time falling into our own consulting rabbit holes.

My 'one-tenth off the mark' proclivity is the perfect symbiotic communication idea that changes 'consumerkind' and gets me that Nobel Prize for marketing science.

What can be done if we all see, believe and understand things with a different 'eye' for reality? OPEN UP our brains. Make sure what the marketer wants you to believe is actually healthy for your office revenues and personal finances.

Two online stories help illustrate these concepts - see below.

Start locating the fault lines. And, continue to navigate back to an evidence-based reality grounding in what will work rather than following the drivel of simplicity being advertised on the internet.

While my belief system is not completely science based, jumping off ten story buildings without a floatation device has long been something I avoid. My faith has never been about closing my eyes to the reality. Of course, my eyes are not something I will ever totally trust again.

Imagine if you had to rely on someone's eyewitness account to absolve you of some crime or accusation. (An article I Googled) Now think about how you are being influenced by a dental office marketing solution you have been presented. What rabbit hole is closest to their advertising pitch?

Rather than grab the next marketing rabbit that runs by, close your eyes and think about how you could move forward with an ongoing, pragmatic and proactive (not reactive) strategy.

Call Me. We can talk. Discuss what is possible.

866-453-1026 - ext 251

I work with a number of strategic marketing partners. You should have flexibility. Utilize scalable strategies. And then track it all, learn from the data, enhance the marketing, and then see real results for the long term.

Sites I've Developed, Founded, Etc.

• NicheDental.com - Marketing Coaching/Consulting
• NicheDentalCollaborate.com - Strategic Marketing/Advertising/Management Collaboration
• NorthernDentalAlliance.com - Multi-Disciplined Dentist Consultants
• NicheAgency.com - Marketing/Web Design & Advertising Examples

Tenth of Second Discrepancy Information

• BRAIN TIME [6.24.09]
• By David M. Eagleman

> Two Excerpts

"Therefore, the tenth-of- a-second window may be the smallest delay that allows higher areas of the brain to account for the delays created in the first stages of the system while still operating near the border of the present. This window of delay means that awareness is postdictive, incorporating data from a window of time after an event and delivering a retrospective interpretation of what happened."

"But as we begin to understand time as a construction of the brain, as subject to illusion as the sense of color is, we may eventually be able to remove our perceptual biases from the equation. Our physical theories are mostly built on top of our filters for perceiving the world, and time may be the most stubborn filter of all to budge out of the way."

On Point Radio - Believing the Unbelievable

• Link to Story
• Link to Radio Podcast

Midwinter Dental Meeting in St. Paul Minnesota

The Northern Dental Alliance will be at the St. Paul (MN) Midwinter Meeting. Our consultants can help you practice fearless dentistry!

Date: January 15, 2010
Minnesota and Twin Cities area dentists look for the NDA banner and booth at the show.

Talk with...

• Rick Epple of Epple Financial Advisors
• Consultant Dick Chwalek of Niche Dental
• Jenna Grams of Renstrom dental laboratory
• Andy Christensen from Heritage Construction Companies
• Other NDA members in attendance

Invite the NDA to speak at your dental study club, conference or event!
Contact The Northern Dental Alliance or a NDA member.