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Dr. Gabriela Flores: Expert Advice
59 Plays1 year ago
Pause, plan, and progress! Dr. Flores is back with more pearls of wisdom in our latest #DentalFuel episode. She reminds us that it's okay to take a step back and think things through, especially with complex patient needs. And remember, not every patient is the right fit—sometimes, saying no is a step towards better care. Discover why this can be a learning curve for everyone involved.
About the Guest:
Gabriela Flores is a practicing dentist based in Miami Beach, Florida. With roots in the University of Florida for her undergraduate education, she transitioned to Tufts University School of Dental Medicine for further studies. Post-graduation, Gabriela garnered a wealth of experience by working in distinct environments ranging from DSOs and PPO practices to holistic clinics before taking a leap into entrepreneurship by acquiring her own practice in Miami Beach. Notably, she embarked on this venture only a year after completing dental school, setting her apart as a new entrant in the field with a practice owner’s mindset.
Episode Summary:
In this enlightening episode, listeners are treated to a deep dive into the dual aspects of dentistry: the clinical side and the business perspective. Dr. Gabriela Flores and Tanya Sue Maestas engage in a candid conversation that uncovers the keys to success in both areas, tailoring their advice to listeners at various stages of their dental careers.
At the core of their discussion, Dr. Flores emphasizes the importance of patience and deliberation in clinical decision-making. She advises that taking time to consider patients' cases thoroughly can lead to better outcomes and patient appreciation. Moreover, the conversation pivots to the business aspect, where Dr. Flores shares her belief in acting on one's passion for practice ownership, finding a niche, and not hesitating when opportunities arise.
Key Takeaways:
- Clinicians should not rush to provide answers or treatment plans; it is okay to take time to ensure the best patient outcomes.
- Establishing a trusting relationship with patients can lead to successful and rewarding treatments.
- Not every patient is the right fit for your practice, and it's crucial to be selective for mutual satisfaction.
- Define your goals clearly and take decisive action towards achieving them without waiting for a 'perfect' moment.
- Finding a niche in your dental practice can be a significant business advantage and aid in standing out in the market.
Connect with Gabriela Flores: @doctorgabiflores
Connect with Ignitedds: @ignitedds
Connect with Tanya Sue Maestas: @tsmaestas.dds
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Transcript
Introduction and Focus on Mistakes in Dentistry
00:00:00
Speaker
Dental Fuel, the podcast that focuses on what no one else is talking about. Mistakes. The dental world is full of before and afters and no one is talking about the middle.
Sponsorship by 90 Day Jumpstart
00:00:11
Speaker
Dental Fuel brings you the unspoken in-between. Dental Fuel is brought to you by 90 Day Jumpstart, a program to help you increase production and break free from financial stress.
Trusting Instincts in Dentistry
00:00:22
Speaker
Taking your time and trusting your gut are an important part of our daily lives, and it's especially true in the world of dentistry. Dr. Gabriela Flores closes us out on our conversation by sharing some expert advice.
Clinical Advice: Importance of Patience
00:00:36
Speaker
You have shared amazing advice and pearls during our conversation, but I would love if you would share a few key points and takeaway points that our listeners can take away as far as advice in practice and dentistry, things that you continue to learn and that you've taken with you from your growth so far.
00:00:56
Speaker
Oh, I have so much advice I could give. What kind of advice do you want me to give? Do you want me to give a business piece of advice, a clinical piece of advice? Yeah, let's do a good mix. I would love if you would share a clinical piece of advice, one take-home piece that you'd like our listeners to learn from, and a business piece I think that would be huge as well.
00:01:16
Speaker
Okay, cool. So clinically speaking, I would say going into the whole mistakes genre, I would say an important lesson I learned, and this is not just clinically, it's also in life, is you don't always have to have an answer for the patient right then and there. That will help you avoid a lot of mistakes as well because we're under this expectation that we have to have the answers because some people come in your chair and they have a lot going on.
Strategy: Second Consultations for Patient Care
00:01:42
Speaker
And you have to come up with this treatment plan right then and there. And again, this depends. I own my practice so I can do that. But at the same time, when I do things like this, I'm risking losing the patient. But sometimes either I tell the patient, okay, I'm going to step out, watch TV. That's why it's good having a TV, watch the TV, drink some water, whatever. Or if they're in a rush, I'll say, hey, listen, it seems like, because sometimes you're not receptive to what you say when they're in a rush.
00:02:09
Speaker
I invite them back for a second consult so that I can sit and think about their case because I took all my, I took all my intro photographs, my scan, my radiograph so I can think about it and then present it to them. So I say we can come back or we can do it over FaceTime or I can email it to you, which I don't love because it's easiest to get them right there in
Analyzing and Planning Treatment
00:02:26
Speaker
the chair. But then sometimes you can do that and then you chat with them a little, you connect with them.
00:02:31
Speaker
they come back and then they already you kind of won them over personality wise and then and then they're more receptive to what you have to say that you weren't pushing this huge treatment plan right then and there so basically that advice is it's okay to take your time to think sometimes if you either need to step out of the room and look at the radiographs because I actually do not look at radiographs in front of patients because they're just sitting there watching you watching stressed out and they're like what is that what is that right there and then there and then you have to like
00:02:57
Speaker
give them a whole dental degree explanation and it's very stressful because you already have to do that nowadays anyway. Let alone like you don't want them questioning you while you're trying to think of a good treatment plan. So it's okay to take your time and think, to step aside or tell a patient, I don't have the answer for you right now. Can I think about this and get back to you? I really want to make sure I give you the best treatment plan possible. I really want to make sure I do 100% right by you. There are a lot of moving parts here. Do you mind if I look at this for a little bit and then get back to you on that?
00:03:26
Speaker
They will appreciate that so much, even if they're in a rush, because I promise you they've never heard that, probably ever, maybe once or twice. In dentistry, it's totally okay to slow down.
Matching Patients and Dentists
00:03:38
Speaker
I think that we live in a fast world pace, in a fast world that when we're just going 100 miles an hour and in dental school, we're just trying to get through and get all of our requirements that we're just going, going, going, going. But it's okay to take a step back and take time to really analyze and
00:03:55
Speaker
plan for what's best for your patient and of course what's best for you to provide for your patient's care and also giving yourself the grace to know that mistakes happen. You're going to grow from those mistakes and if you're clear with your patients they'll likely understand and it can be hard. I think that that's something that comes with time and you learn over time and not every patient is accepting but
00:04:16
Speaker
And that's okay too. And you have to understand that every patient is the right patient for you. And sometimes I've sent patients away and they come back, better patients. Sometimes you have to say,
00:04:29
Speaker
Hey, listen, I don't think that I can give you what you need. Let me refer you to this person. And sometimes they'll go to that person, they'll come back, you know what? I like you better. Let's start over. Let's go from there. I've had a patient come back to me and apologize saying that she had given me. And I told her that I said, hey, listen, I think that we're not on the same page here. So I'm going to give you a referral, try this other doctor. I think that maybe I'm just not for you.
00:04:56
Speaker
And then she came back and apologized and said, she said, hey, I was having a really bad day. A lot of things happened. I really like you. I felt like I could trust you. I really appreciate how you handled that situation. Can we start over? And then I ended up doing like full mouth case on her and it was really cool. I know we had, we ended up being, it would be amazing.
00:05:14
Speaker
It doesn't always happen that way. But then sometimes they don't come back and then you avoid it a really bad situation. Right. Yeah. That's not everyone is for everyone. Just like not everyone is going to be your spouse or your boyfriend or your girlfriend or your partner. Not everyone is going to be the right patient
Comfort and Second Opinions in Dentistry
00:05:29
Speaker
for you. And that's okay. I gave that analogy to a patient recently. You know, she came in and she was like, you know, I just went to a dentist and I really didn't like him. I'm like, that's okay.
00:05:37
Speaker
Like, you know, it's like a relationship. It's okay not to like the first person that you go and see. You're welcome to see a different opinion, to see out a different personality and a different way of care delivery. You don't have to stick to something that you're not comfortable with. And she really liked it and now we're hanging out. But it's okay, you know, I feel like if you don't feel comfortable and it can be hard depending on the practice setting that you're in. If you don't feel comfortable providing care to a certain person who may
00:06:03
Speaker
come in demanding something that's just not plausible, it's okay to take a step back and be like, hey, I just can't, I'm not able to provide the care that you're expecting, but maybe we can find somebody else that can. And sometimes they'll make their way back to you.
Business Strategies in Dentistry
00:06:16
Speaker
Yep, 100%.
00:06:19
Speaker
So share that business advice now. So the business advice. I had shared this before on another interview I had done, but I'm going to share it again because I think it's really good. It's important. It's really good because it's my advice. No, it probably is important advice. I think that follow your gut and don't delay things, but don't speed things.
00:06:43
Speaker
Don't force things. If things feel like they're forced, maybe take a step back and reevaluate. But at the same time, if you really have this passion and you really want to own a practice and you really want to do this, this, and that, sit down and make it happen. Because if you keep delaying it, there's never going to be the right moment. It's just, it's never going to just happen. So find that balance, really get in tune, but also be very clear about what you want. In dentistry nowadays, I'm watching these
00:07:12
Speaker
kids graduating kids I'm watching these people graduating and they're mostly Gen Z's now and they're excellent as far as social media goes the competition is big there that's a new market so you have to keep up with that so be very clear on what you want if you can find a niche
00:07:31
Speaker
That will be I think that's that's my biggest advice is really like be clear on your goal Be very clear about what you want and then you'll be able to make those decisions and don't delay Decisions because you think that there's going to be a right moment don't force a moment But if this is what you want take action for it because it's never going to just happen
00:07:50
Speaker
So I would say that find your niche. If you can specialize, specialize. If it's in general, find your niche within general, whether it's family medicine or sleep medicine in general dentistry, since that's not necessarily a specialty in dentistry really. Yeah, but you can get really good at it and provide excellent treatment options to patients. So I would say that business wise, try to find a niche and take action when you feel like this is, you found what you want, take action on it.
Resources for Dental Professionals
00:08:18
Speaker
Excellent advice. And yes, take the appropriate steps that you need to take for what your future will look like. Take classes, take CE. As we mentioned before, Ignite DDS has excellent resources for our listeners to take advantage of. David Rice is an excellent resource too.
00:08:34
Speaker
Any person who messages him, whether it's a clinical question, a business question, he'll get to it eventually, actually pretty quickly. He has excellent advice just because he's been there, done that and has so much experience and is always open to help others and to help young dentists grow. So please use him as a resource and ignite DDS as well too. I agree.
00:08:56
Speaker
Gabriela, this has been an absolute joy. I've enjoyed everything that you've had to share for our listeners. If our listeners are interested in learning more about you, where can they find you? They can find me on Instagram at
00:09:10
Speaker
Dr. Gabby Flores. I'm sure you'll put it in the show notes because everyone spelled it wrong. Gabby with an I. Or on TikTok at Dr. Flossy. And if you go to my... I love it. And Dr. spelled out, not DR.
00:09:27
Speaker
If you go into my links in my bio, shoot me an email, shoot me a DM. I love talking to people. I love giving me advice. I was just on a call yesterday with someone who was moving to Florida and wanted some advice and help. I love, I love spreading. I've learned so many things the hard way that I love helping people if I can.
Connecting with Dr. Gabriela Flores
00:09:49
Speaker
That's wonderful. And you do radiate that great joy and energy. So hopefully our listeners will reach out to you.
00:09:55
Speaker
And I'm also gonna include your website in the show notes if that's okay I think you alluded to it a little bit earlier and I think that it's great to look at Different websites and kind of just find what the best website for you is to make for your own practice for yourself Absolutely. My website right now. I like my website, but I'm actually it's gonna get revamped So if you go there in a couple months, you'll like go back in a couple months. It'll be even nicer but but yeah, please feel free to visit my website because a lot of patients do comments on my website how they like they like to clean look they like
00:10:25
Speaker
They kind of like the energy it gives. So take that. All right. Gabriela, thank you so much for your time and we hope to catch- Thank you so much for having me. We hope to catch all our listeners next time. Absolutely. Take care. We hope you have enjoyed our conversation with Dr. Gabriela Flores. You can connect with her on Instagram at Dr. Gabby Flores. You can also connect with us on Instagram at IgniteDDS and add dental fuel.
00:10:52
Speaker
Have you checked out 90 Day Jumpstart yet? Be sure to check it out at IgniteDDS.com.