By Digital Smile Design
⋅ min read
⋅ 26 Feb 2020
Life would never be the same again
For Dr Saghi Helmi, it all began at New York University just a few short years ago at her first DSD Residency. “Right from the very start I knew my life would never be the same again!” That’s what she remembers about how she felt during the four intense days with Christian Coachman who introduced her to Emotional Dentistry. And the rest, as they say, is history. Only, in Saghi’s case, it was the future. A general dentist who had established her own clinic in 2009, she described herself at the time of the Residency as follows: “I was a bit stuck in my dentistry. I wanted to pursue esthetics, but I was getting results that weren’t matching my expectations, so I was stressed and frustrated.”
Everyone else was having more fun
“From the first sentence he said to us, Christian pinpointed exactly the things that were playing on my mind,”Saghi continues. “Prior to the course, I had begun to notice on social media how a lot of dentists were having fun doing their dentistry. They were taking cool pictures, seeing cool patients, and I just kept thinking: how come they’re having so much fun? Is this a younger generation thing? And the first thing that Christian said at the Residency was that he had also been at a stage where his colleagues seemed cooler, drove better cars, earned more, AND were having fun while doing it. It was great to know it wasn’t only me who felt like this! And that’s the strength of his message, he’s been through it all himself.”
Two ideas from the Residency that stood out to Saghi were: Firstly, patients want painless, beautiful dentistry and to have a say in their treatment plan. Secondly, focus on patient experience. There was no going back to her un-cool, un-fun days of general dentistry after that... “I had finally found the answer to why I was practicing dentistry and how I could deliver the best possible care for my patients. That energy DSD has given me is unbeatable!”
Going all the way, right away
“I didn’t sleep in New York. I had that energy that you get when you want things to happen very quickly. I knew straight away I had to get started with this. So I hired a DSD Coordinator because I needed a team member who could explain costs to my patients. She was a dental assistant from my previous clinic who happened to be looking for a job and WhatsApp’ed me while I was at the course. She had experience in Botox so she already understood how to explain the value of esthetic treatments.
I remember catching up with Christian on one of the days and saying to him: ‘I want to go all the way with this. I’m just going to go all the way’. And I was serious. The first thing I did was to prepare a training session for my staff, because I knew I was going to be dropping a bombshell on them. So when I returned, we trained the staff and introduced them to the DSD Concept. They were very scared at the beginning, and it took me up to three months to start doing my first DSD patient, because I wanted to have everything perfect. But once we were up and running we completed 13 mock-ups in five months.”
You have to jump with me
“An important part of getting into DSD was my team and how they grew with me. But at the start, I had to get them to understand what a mock-up is and why we do it. This was good practice, because it helped me to rehearse explaining DSD to my patients. It’s a challenge, when you go to a Residency for four days, being intensely involved with your profession, to come back and have to explain the DSD Concept to other people who were not there.
At first, I was the crazy one jumping up and down when taking motivational mock-up pictures. So I said: ‘Guys, you have to be smiling, you have to jump with me and make patients smile’. I made them jump and that wasn’t easy, especially for the Dutch who are very somber, unlike Brazilians. I think that’s where a lot of clinic owners get stuck. You feel alone at the beginning of the journey until people see the results and then they believe it. Then things start rolling. Now, we’re well into the second year and the team is comfortable with the DSD concept.”
Keeping the faith
Once the team was trained and on board, it was vital to hone patient communication. For Saghi, the DSD protocols simplify this significantly.“The first time you do a mock-up on a patient, when you take out that putty and you see the result, it is amazing. The emotional response of my patients kept me going in those early days. It’s knowing what you can promise your patients and involving them in designing their smile; that’s the power of DSD. We can design it and I can say this is how it’s going to look. Just giving that to someone as a dentist is amazing. For me, that’s the key, you can sell so much more DSD as well, because you are confident yourself about the product.”
Moving dentistry to another level
Having moved from the team to patients, the next task was to upgrade the physical clinic environment.
“I knew it was important to get the setting right for the clinic, so I hired someone to design my DSD Clinic and branding; the talented Pouyan Mehdizadeh, Director of House of Amud. Together we created a style that incorporates the DSD global brand and our own unique clinic; we call it ‘DSDlicious’.
Together, Saghi and Pouyan carried this style through to every area of the clinic and every detail – from the luxurious hotel-like interiors, the unique placement of a logo on the floor, the catwalk of smiles, the upstairs DSD room, to their carefully considered choice of lighting. “We are completely focused on the experience in the clinic; there are no mirrors or clocks. When you enter, you forget about the outside world. It’s all about the experience for the patient. Digital Smile Design, digital dentistry as a whole, is a tool to make the experience better for patients. That is one thing that they never teach in dental school.
Another thing we decided to do was to move the DSD rooms upstairs in the clinic because I want to have peace and quiet around me and my patients have to be comfortable as well. Most of all, I want my patients to have the privilege of being on another level. So, we have the second floor for treatment and on the third floor is my photo studio.”
Dramatic changes
“The whole energy of the clinic is different now. Everything has changed at my clinic since I started DSD. From the physical appearance, to the team structure, to our daily routine. I’ve freed myself from general dentistry, so I only work on DSD cases apart from a few regular check-ups with patients who insist on seeing me. The general dentists on my team have all had DSD training and attended a Residency. We are also working towards one-hour appointments as part of the ‘Slow Dentistry’ movement. In The Netherlands, dentistry usually means a five-minute consultation so this is quite a change.”
The Planning Center makes life easier
Saghi believes that working with the DSD Planning Center is another advantage to being a DSD Clinic. “They’re amazing! They make my life easier. I always know what I’m going to get when I’ve used the Planning Center. And they’re always there on the concierge service; any time of night or day, somebody answers. They can even prioritize cases, so if I say, ‘This patient is leaving, I need the treatment plan tomorrow’, they deliver.
For my first case with the Planning Center I chose a very complicated one. My advice to anyone would be to always start with an easy case and then work through the steps. They guide you so thoroughly; it’s a wonderful learning experience.”
Living the DSD Concept
When asked to pick her favorite DSD case thus far, Saghi is spoilt for choice. The most memorable case is certainly the one she did on her own teeth.
“I was grinding and my cusps were getting shorter. So I thought, before it gets worse and I start getting it on the back, let’s do it. The funny thing is, even though it was my product, and I knew every detail of the design, I was blown away when I fitted my mock-up! (I did my own mock-up, because it was on a Saturday and I couldn’t wait for my dentist...).
It was such an amazing journey to go through for myself. I tested the mock-up, I even went home with it in to see what it would feel like! I don’t know how they do it at the DSD Planning Center but the design comes out perfect every time. This experience has made it easier for me to communicate with my patients now because I have been through every step myself with my own teeth. I can say to them, ‘I’m an example of DSD with my own smile’.”
Yes, we’re going for it!
The best part of Saghi’s clinic transformation is that she hasn’t done it in isolation. In fact, she’s had a team of fellow DSD Clinics cheering her on every step of the way.
“Apart from having this cool new setting to work in, it’s being a part of a network with so many other DSD Clinics that really matters to me. I know that right now, even if I just put something in the WhatsAppgroup, somebody’s going to be like-minded and answer me. You feel part of a family, actually.
Becoming a DSD clinic gives you all the tools you need; not only the trusted brand, but as a clinician it gives you the drive, the energy. It’s like saying: ‘Yes, we’re going for it. Now we’re going to implement everything. Now we’re going to do it’. Until you become an official clinic, DSD is just a partial procedure. But when you’re a DSD Clinic, it’s what you do. That’s how people see you. And that makes all the difference. Because to be honest, when you are doing DSD, you only want to do DSD.”
When work isn’t work anymore
“From my first Residency to now, it’s been in my head every second and every minute. With every choice and every pathway, you’re thinking about how DSD works with that. So sometimes, my kids would say to me ‘do you mind if we don’t talk about DSD anymore!’
But the funny thing is, you don’t feel it because once you start thinking like this, work isn’t work anymore. People will say to me, ‘You’re still at the clinic’ but you’re working on the next case so it’s fine.Your work isn’t work. You’re constantly designing.”
Diving into DSD
Saghi believes the DSD Residency is a ‘must do’ for every dentist who wants to future proof their business. “At the DSD Residency, Christian gives you a recipe. If you just take out one ingredient, you’re not going to get the same end result. So you want to use the whole recipe. DSD gives you everything; marketing, clinics, on-demand, mentoring, labs, and the Planning Center. You have to be smart and embrace all of it, and then it works.”
For more information visit Helmi’s DentalCare
Would you like to begin your own journey with DSD? Book your place and join us on one of our upcoming Residency 1 programs to immerse yourself in the concepts that are transforming the way modern dentists work.
