Aesthetic Excellence

Transcript performed by A.I. Please excuse the typos.
00:00
Welcome to Dental All-Stars. I’m Alex Nottingham, founder and CEO of All-Star Dental Academy. And with me is Michael DeFrisco, the AACD executive director. We have some fun stuff to talk about, interesting stuff to talk about, always with Michael. Michael, welcome. Thanks, Alex, appreciate being here. Yes, we were reminiscing that All-Star Dental Academy was launched with the AACD backing over 10 years ago.

00:28
and you were there. You were an executive for sure. And now you’re the top dog over there at AACD. We’re so excited and honored to have you. And the AACD people should know, but it’s the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. And for those who don’t know, what is the AACD? Who is your dental market? Tell us a little about the AACD.

00:58
Sure, the AACD. And you, you and the AACD, what are you? I know. Yeah, yeah. We’ve been around for over 40 years now. The Academy was originally launched in 1983 and it was started because there was a lack of training in aesthetic dentistry. As you know, it’s not a recognized specialty as such, so anybody can pretty much claim to be a cosmetic dentist, but definitely there’s specialized training.

01:28
materials, techniques, and you want form and function to work together, right? So it’s not all about just a beautiful smile. It’s about a functional smile. So AACD was launched with this idea that it’s part art, part science, and all year long we train our members through our Journal of Cosmetic Dentistry, through very robust online CE opportunities.

01:57
And then every year we have our annual scientific session. And it’s coming up in April of this year, and it’ll be our 41st scientific session. So we’re really excited about that. Awesome. And we were talking about that you have dentists for sure, as well as lab technicians that are some of your following in base. And that really any dentist could be associated or affiliated with AACD.

02:27
Certainly the general dentist, what about the specialist? Do you have specialists as well that come to the AACD and get benefit as well? Sure, there are some periodontists and prosthodontists, and we have some orthodontists, but generally, it’s the dentist or the laboratory technician. We also have membership types for dental school faculty and students and recent grads and things like that, but AACD has never been about

02:57
appealing to a broad range of of dentists, right? We’re we’re kind of what I like to call a niche of a niche. And so it’s kind of a narrow focus. We define our members as being very passionate about the results. They have a fire in their belly to do really great work to provide their patients with great treatment options. And they’re typically lifelong learners. So these aren’t these aren’t your your typical.

03:26
family dentist down the block. Sure. And as such, that’s why I call us a vertical, a niche. Sure. For those who want to excel in aesthetics and cosmetics. And what I do love about your group is even though you are elite when it comes to what you do as well as your fellowships, it’s very down to earth. You’re the dentist because a lot of our dentists are AAC dentists for a number of reasons. One because we launched.

03:54
You’re much older, but you were our big supporter in the beginning of all-star and so we kind of have an affinity there but also our messaging at also general Academy just about the quality of customer service in terms of There’s a lot of attraction there. So it’s some cross pollination But a lot of our dentists are a CD dentist with respect to that and what I’m saying is what I like about This in addition to the excellence that you provide everybody’s very down to earth

04:24
very caring organization. And I know it’s great talking to leadership here of how much involvement you have with the dentists in their lives and ultimately that they’re happy in making a difference. And this is precisely part of what we’ll be discussing because I want to hear more about some of the issues facing dentists. We’ll talk more about the end about the symposium, some of the speakers or rather the lineup of topics. And we’re so proud to announce that we

04:53
and representing the practice management section of it, providing phone skills, case exceptions training as well, because you have to marry the two. That was the vision at the very beginning, Michael, that you saw as marketing director, in the beginning you said, hey, we’re great at clinical, partner with All-Star to be able to support helping them with case acceptance and phone skills, because to be able to do that, you gotta have your team supported with respect to that. So, awesome.

05:23
So Mike, with your long tenure there at the AACD, what do you find have been the issue facing dentists and specifically dentists that are looking to achieve like the great practice both aesthetically as well as function with their team. They probably are AACD members or they’re the type of dentists that you speak to. What are some issues that you see them that they’re facing in the last couple of years?

05:53
Yeah, so great question because one of the things that we look at, we have a different lens, I think, that we’re that we’re looking at. And that is that AACD is the only aesthetic dental organization that has a credential. So that’s kind of what really makes us unique. And when a dental professional decides to take that path to accreditation, it’s pretty much as close as you could get to kind of claiming that I’m an expert in this area.

06:23
It’s quite the journey and they will all tell you that they couldn’t do it alone, right? They needed special training. They needed a mentor. They needed a team around them that kind of understood what they were going through. They need to know how to spot good cases, how to kind of explain the treatment to the patient and sell them on that idea. So case acceptance becomes a big part of it.

06:52
Because of our credential, and we have about 440 accredited members, and then above that, there’s accredited fellows, a much more elite group there. They can’t do this in a vacuum. They can’t do this by themselves. And that’s, I think, the synergy that you were just referring to is while our customer, our members, typically the dentist or the laboratory technician.

07:21
it’s pretty easy to see that it takes the village to get someone to that level. For sure. As you can imagine. And kind of building on in our last talk a few years ago, we were looking at some of the trends in dentistry. And do you, for the last year, because every year has like, it’s difficulty. I’ll say one thing we see a lot, as I’m sure you heard, is hiring.

07:50
is an issue. Hiring, yeah. Right. And many who listen to us and follow us know that we have a hiring service. We hire every position except the associate because that’s a really needed thing to be able to be well-staffed and trained. Are there anything in particular that you have seen with your aesthetic dentist that they’re striving for more of or they’re struggling a bit with that just has been brought to your attention lately?

08:21
I think there’s a few things. First of all, the trend towards more digital, more AI, of course, coming in. So it’s kind of changing the workplace a little bit. Yes, we have heard some of the challenges in the hiring and maintaining a good team. We’ve heard that. The other trends that we’re seeing is, and this is backed up by the ADA Health Institute policy, is that

08:49
Now that the pandemic has largely passed us, dentists are waiting a little bit longer to retire. So they’re hanging in there till closer to their 69, 70. We’re seeing that trend, but then we’re also seeing private equity sneak in. Right. So we have the dental service organizations and we have other practice transition options that are being opened to dentists to maybe get out early or

09:18
become almost an associate within their own practice and be able to have more free time and not have to worry about payroll or taking vacation, things like that. So there’s definitely some benefits to that. And as part of that private equity piece, we’re also seeing a bit of a trend where dental students are coming out of dental school and why they might have a great interest in what AACD has to offer. That dangling carrot there that a DSO might,

09:47
swing in front of them is pretty sweet to get rid of some of that student debt load. So it almost seems like there’s competing forces, right? There’s the dentist that continue wanting to perfect their craft. There’s also technology with AI and improvements that’s certainly welcome in some cases. But then at the same time, you have private equity that wants to buy up practices. And from my knowledge, though, they’re not they’re targeting more bread and butter volume typically.

10:16
less so than these really high-end type of dentists that you have. And I know with our membership, we’re seeing similar things. We’re seeing acquisitions of practices that are selling out, cashing out. But then there are others that are kind of more fee for service, which tend to be more what you have. We also have a lot of our dentists transition to being insurance free.

10:46
you’re much like the retail space. Like you’re gonna have your cost cutters like Walmart, and then you’re gonna have your more quality retailers that, I’m not saying Walmart’s not quality, whatever, but it’s more a price, and then you’re gonna have the more high-end. Same thing with shopping, right? You have Bloomingdale’s and others. And what’s interesting is in retail, like some of these high-end retailers are making a lot of money and they keep raising fees. There’s a market for that.

11:14
And there is a market for a couple things, both high-end dentists that you’ll pay very well for the cosmetic, which typically isn’t covered for insurance anyway, and you have all the dentists that are bread and butter with a flair for cosmetics at times, that are fee-for-service and getting paid well and be able to spend time and use quality materials. And most dentists I speak to love the opportunity to sprinkle in some cosmetics.

11:44
AACD is a wonderful compliment, whether you’re just like my father, for example, he ended up finalizing his career the last 10, 15 years doing high-end full-mouth reconstruction. That’s what he did. So he was that. But most are, will do some. But I know a lot of them would love to do some more full-mouth work. And the AACD is a great fertile ground for that. So it’s very interesting to kind of keep tabs of this huge marketplace.

12:14
and the different factions that are happening. Some of them conflict, but I definitely see, I don’t know if you would agree, Michael, that there’s kind of a segregating of marketplaces and some people certainly will want that high-end work. And it’s really surprising, not that we’ll be doing it for a while, but the fact that when you start doing the math, even paying out of network, okay, because insurances will pay out of network often,

12:44
that patients can end up getting a better quality dentist, a better quality, and when I say dentist, materials and experience by not having to just go with somebody who’s in network. So there’s some interesting things there, and I think that’s where together we educate the community that ultimately, and this is what I was speaking to you, dentist, is always start with what you want, what your vision is.

13:13
I have this joke that I say is sort of true is when I’m talking to dentists, we don’t do DDS, dull dental stuff. I don’t at least, but I know they love their DDS. With me, we do the bone skills, practice management, our coaches do some DDS stuff, but with AACD, guys, if you’re listening, this is a DDS wonderland. You will find all the great vendors too and exhibitors that are wonderful.

13:43
The events that you do and all the training you do is just, it’s high quality, a lot of fun. Okay, so I don’t have to sell them, they get that. But I’ve been to many of your events and it is a wonderland. Yeah, it is. And you bring up a good point. I mean, what’s in common with everything you just said is, I think AACD really helps you elevate your clinical confidence so that you can tackle the full mouth.

14:12
restorations and the cases that are a little bit more complex and give your patient the confidence as well because now they have a new smile that they can be proud of. It’s life changing. And I feel like that’s the business that we’re in is to give these doctors the clinical confidence to do these cases. Yeah, confidence, competence. You know, I was talking to our mastermind group the other day and…

14:39
one of their successes in 2024 was doing new and higher end procedures. And that is a clinical move that ended up being a financial benefit move that they enjoy and patients are enjoying. And that’s where you got to be able to have resources to be able to do that. AACD guys, gotta go AACD. So, all right. I’m curious, Michael, because it will take some

15:09
Let’s talk about this event. Every year you do an event and there are wonderful programs. Tell me a little bit about this upcoming event. This is when? When is your next AACD event? The symposium, is you call it? Yeah, it’s our conference. Your conference. Our annual scientific session is the proper name. It’s the annual scientific session. And it is coming up April 3rd through 5th. And we’re going to be in San Diego this year. So.

15:36
We’re going to hit the highway to aesthetic excellence, as we’ve been saying, because the theme of this year kind of plays off this idea of the Southern California kind of biker vibe. So our theme is in vision design. And that’s what we’re going to do. I think we’re going to, you know, get on that bike and head down that that highway to aesthetic excellence. So it’s going to come up fast here. Our course selection just opened up about.

16:06
a week and a half ago and people are starting to lock in their seats in specific hands on workshops. Again, that’s what we’re known for. It’s kind of our our stock and trade is the hands on workshops. So people, you know, tend to gravitate those towards those first. But there’s also plenty of other education, general session speakers and lectures and other opportunities to, to like I said, elevate your whole practice.

16:34
So we’ll be at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego and what’s going to be nice about that is it’s right It’s like right on the waterfront. So you get this access to Seaport Village and the gas lamp corridor so dining shopping nightlife all that fun stuff. But yeah, like you mentioned we have 50 plus sponsors and exhibitors who are there and these are the these are the vendors who support our member dentists and technicians So they’re there and there’s

17:04
More than 45 sessions with 30 of them being hands on. Wow. So a lot of stuff going on. We, this annual scientific session is programmed by a professional education committee. And this year they just did an outstanding job selecting really compelling topics, world renowned speakers, names that dentists would recognize and kind of wrapping it all around.

17:34
this kind of engaging fun theme. Excellent. And so it to go, do you have to be an AAC dentist, AACD dentist to attend? This is a this is a members only event is typically how to sign up, you sign up as a member and you can go. Correct. And you Yeah, you can you can you can register to attend and become a member at the same time. So a way to do it. Yeah. All right. So where do we go? I assume

18:03
Or AACD conference.com. AACD conference.com. Yeah. And the AACD website is? AACD.com. OK. AACD.com, AACD conference.com. But I’m sure they interlink, right? So if you go to the home page, you can go there. Correct. You can go from one to the other. And that’s wonderful. And we were also talking about at this scientific session, we’re going to have our president of coaching, Eric Vickery, will be speaking. Is it two days he’s speaking? Day and a half.

18:33
Day and a half of speaking. So, and multiple sessions on practice management, phone skills, case acceptance. And so you can select where you wanna go with that. So what’s really exciting is you get both. You get the clinical while you’re there and you get some training for you in terms of practice management. That’s excellent. Yeah, here’s what’s really exciting about that to me. Tell me. Is that like I said, we tend to focus on.

19:00
clinical skills for the dentist and laboratory technician. That’s our best fit member. That’s where our focus is. But after our last conference, we heard from our respondents in a post-conference survey instrument that 78% of them said they’d consider bringing team members if there were some programming for them. So we know that, like I said earlier, dental teams play this pivotal role in supporting dentists, especially if they’re on this.

19:28
journey to aesthetic excellence like AACD accreditation, for instance. So that’s why we approached All-Star. We heard people say things like, I felt the times I brought my team to the annual conference, they were extremely valuable in helping me kind of get my office to understand the importance of excellence and the credentialing process because we know that the team members are involved in communication with patients, sometimes even more so.

19:59
than the doctor, right? The concerns of scanning impressions, sometimes photography, and especially their role in case presentation and acceptance. So the idea here of kind of collaborating with All-Star was this idea that

20:19
Well, the theme that we came up with together using Eric Vickery as our educator is case acceptance excellence, driving success in your aesthetic practice. So again, it’s a day and a half of lectures. There’ll be three sessions, building a great team and growth formula, the great call and patient discovery, and the great exam and patient commitment. So it’s an opportunity for doctors to consume some of that content.

20:48
But now we have a place for the team to go. Yeah. So you can bring your team and your team can some of the scientific sessions the team can go to. And they can certainly go to the all-star portion. And doctors can do both based on what they’re interested. Maybe get a little bit of each. So when you leave, you kind of got a two for one. You got some clinical. You got some practice management. That’s wonderful. And that’s very insightful that so

21:17
dentists want to empower the team because I remember interviewing, and I think they were AACD doctor and they were also an extreme makeover dentist. And they told me that they’re often their lowest paid person, the one who answers her phone is the most important person in their practice because without them, you’re not going to have patients. So what I love about this is your team can see what you’re about. They can see the

21:47
the clinical excellence that you focus on and learn some of that as well as be able to be educated and to apply what it is you do. So now that you have this clinical excellence, how do you communicate it? Our president of coaching, Eric Vickery, I love the line that he says when he speaks, you’re only as effective as you can communicate. And so having great verbal phone skills, case acceptance skills, communication skills will help you communicate what you do.

22:15
and dentists are listening, it’s not you to tell others how great you are. You want your team to do that. You want your team to be able to empower patients and communicate all the wonderful DDS stuff that you saw and that you do for your patients. If you can have winning clinical excellence and winning practice, what is it, verbiage

22:45
I call it dental practice excellence. You have the both. I mean, you really, and you’re a good person, nice. You’re gonna do pretty well. So having the combination of that, I’m really excited. So again, those addresses, aacd.com, aacdconference.com. Correct. That’s awesome. Yeah. And I’m sure you can also find AACD on social media and so on.

23:15
Michael DeFrisco, I’ll end it there. That’s exciting. I’m so excited to have the executive director, my good friend, Michael DeFrisco. All right, everybody, well, follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube as always. Share this episode with your friends. Let’s get them to the AACD. Let’s see some AACD, some All-Star. It’s gonna be a lot of fun. And until next time, everybody, go out there and be an All-Star.