Smile Business Diaries Conversation with Dr Raquel Reis

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Smile Business Diaries Conversation with Dr Raquel Reis

This transcript has been reviewed by AI and may contain inaccuracies

Maria Cabanellas: Welcome, Dr. Raquel Reis. It's a pleasure to have you on the Small Business podcast. How are you?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Wow, I'm great! I'm so happy to be here with you, Maria, today, and I'm very honored to have this conversation with you.

Maria Cabanellas: Well, thank you! You know, the honor is mine. I've known you for a little bit, but for those that are listening who don't know you, I want to start out by just giving you the floor to explain who you are as a person, as a dentist, and what your practice is like right now.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! I am from Brazil. I started dentistry here many years ago. I came to study, actually just for continuing education, and then I decided to go for the boards. That was very challenging for me, especially because of the language barrier—I wasn’t fluent in English at the time. That created a lot of obstacles for me to move forward.

Lately, I became a DSD Clinic, like you said, and that has been a complete game changer in my life. My workflow is completely different, we deal with patients differently, and I'm so happy that I went through the coaching with you guys.

We work in a professional building—it's like a family practice dental and medical building. I work with my husband; we've been working together for many years. He’s a physician in the same building, which makes it really interesting because we share knowledge with each other. He teaches me things, I teach him things, and it works really well.

There’s a big gap in the medical field when it comes to integrating dentistry. A lot of people don’t understand the connection, but everything is interrelated—it's a holistic approach. He tells me stories all the time, like a patient who came in with an emergency, already spent a lot of money, went through so many tests, and no one could figure out the problem. Then my husband looks in their mouth and sees it’s just a tooth abscess. They had unnecessary X-rays and tests when all they needed was dental care.

There’s a lot of misunderstanding in the medical field regarding oral health, and that’s why it’s been great to work alongside my husband. I also get good referrals from him. Since he's affiliated with the hospital, I’ve worked with many of his patients. For me, it’s very convenient because I always consult with him when I see a patient that he knows. It's always good to have an understanding of a patient’s overall health before starting dental procedures.

I focus on comprehensive dentistry—taking care of the patient, listening to them, and building a good relationship. That’s what makes you different.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely! And you're based in Chicago, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, I am in Chicago. I’m actually the first Brazilian female dentist in the city! I was honored with an award for that from my community in New York in 2022, which was really exciting. I’ve been helping my community for such a long time.

A lot of Brazilians come here for short-term study programs, and sometimes they have dental emergencies while traveling. So, in addition to everything else, I’ve become an emergency dentist! I handle a lot of urgent cases all the time.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow, that’s a lot to take on! You’re also doing comprehensive dentistry and are very involved with DSD. That’s really interesting.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! Like I said, I’m changing my approach lately with DSD, so things are completely different. Oh my God, it’s completely different from before!

Maria Cabanellas: Let’s talk about how you started. You’re Brazilian, you came to the country fresh—fresh immigrant looking for the American dream. What was that like for you? I know it’s challenging. I talk to a lot of immigrant dentists who come to the U.S. and try to build their own practices. But you’ve done it before most. So, how did that work out for you?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Wow! That was the biggest challenge I had—being able to go for the boards. At the time, there were no computers, no cell phones—

Maria Cabanellas: Right, no Google!

Dr. Raquel Reis: No Google! So you had to study with tapes. I would study the whole day using tapes for the boards and for the English test. So I went through Kaplan University, and I spent almost a year there just studying for all the national boards.

Then I was lucky to get accepted into Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago. Unfortunately, that school closed, but at the time, it was one of the best schools in America. Now, it’s just a medical school.

They evaluated my curriculum, and I had to take some extra classes. I went through the residency program there for about two and a half years. Actually, I completed it really fast. I see a lot of people who take much longer or can’t even make it through, but I finished in about three years, including all the paperwork and everything.

I was really excited about my new clinic, so I opened my own practice in Chicago right away. My husband helped me a lot—he was already a physician here. He had his location, and we always shared an office. It was comfortable for me, though sometimes I regret it, and sometimes I don’t. There’s always the good and the bad, you know how it is.

Maria Cabanellas: Of course.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Being alone in this country, without family, with two beautiful daughters, and practicing dentistry—it’s just overwhelming. There are so many things going on. So, it’s good to have my husband taking care of my practice too when I’m not there. Sometimes I’m traveling, and he sees patients for me in emergencies. He takes care of them, prescribes medication, and helps when needed.

Maria Cabanellas: I was going to say—are doctors doing root canals now?

Dr. Raquel Reis:Laughs No, no! Actually, I do everything. I do root canals, extractions, and all the treatments, but he can prescribe medication when needed, which is really helpful.

Maria Cabanellas: That’s a great way of having your own little network—getting your medical physicians involved to help when necessary. I assume that helps your practice a lot. You must share the same patients for the most part, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Well, yes and no. Some patients come from my husband’s referrals, but many find us through word of mouth. People come in sometimes, and they’re not necessarily his patients.

Maria Cabanellas: Okay, I see.

Dr. Raquel Reis: But things are improving, and my patient base is changing as well.

Maria Cabanellas: Oh, because of the type of dentistry you're getting into now? Is that what you mean?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! I’m seeing people from different places now. In the Brazilian community, we see a lot of Spanish-speaking patients as well. So here, we speak Spanish, English, and Portuguese. My entire staff speaks Spanish, English, and Portuguese. We are all on the same page.

That’s why it’s always been difficult for me to find good staff. It’s hard to build a great team because I need people who speak all three languages fluently.

Maria Cabanellas: That makes sense. Chicago is such a diverse city, with so many different heritages and languages. I assume that’s very important in your area.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, exactly!

Maria Cabanellas: Now, being someone who came from Brazil and built your own practice in the U.S., especially in downtown Chicago, what were the three key moments that helped you in your career?

Dr. Raquel Reis: One of the key moments was definitely the boards. That was such a challenge for me—the language barrier and figuring out where I could get help in the beginning. Nobody tells you anything. You call the universities, and they say, "No, we don’t take foreign students."

I had to figure it out the hard way—by asking people, speaking to different people, and pushing through. Finally, I found Northwestern, and that’s where I went through all the clinical training and took my boards.

Maria Cabanellas: Hello, I'm just taking a quick break from this podcast interview to tell you how you can get started with DSD. If there was anything that our guest has mentioned that strikes a chord with you, or you are curious about becoming a DSD Clinic, I encourage you to book a call with me.

This is a 30-minute, no-obligation information-sharing session in which I can answer your questions about DSD and discuss your options based on your unique circumstances. The link to schedule a call with me can be found in the notes on this episode.

Now, back to the interview.

Dr. Raquel Reis: The second key moment in my career that was really interesting happened after I had already opened my office. I started reading about neurotoxin and Botox—at the time, Botox was the only one available—and injectables. I was really interested in implementing that in my office, but unfortunately, in Chicago and Illinois, it wasn’t approved yet for dentists to practice.

So, I had to take a course in Florida, and I started implementing it in my office after some time. But before I could do that, I had to contact the Professional Regulation department to see if I could legally offer these treatments in dentistry.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow, so you were one of the first?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, I was! When I called the Professional Regulation office—even after the doctor who gave us the course in Miami told me, "We’re legal in Florida and California, but you have to work with your local dental community to open the doors in your own state"—I realized that I had to take action.

When I got back to Chicago, I said, "No, this is too good. I have to call and find out if I can legally perform this procedure in Illinois."

The person at the Professional Regulation office said to me, "Dr. Reis, you are the first person to ask me this question. Can I get back to you later? I need to research this, talk to some people, and I’ll call you back."

A couple of days later, they called me and said, "You know what? You are on your own. If you feel confident with your knowledge and if you think you are ready for any legal concerns, you can go ahead and start. You’re on your own."

I thought, "Oh my God!" That’s when I realized I was one of the first people to bring this up with the Professional Regulation office. But I think it was great because facial aesthetics and dental treatments are so integrated. It makes a huge difference—for example, if you have a gummy smile, you can fix it non-surgically with Botox. It’s amazing!

Maria Cabanellas: How did you feel in that moment? Because, you know, everyone wants to be the first or the best, but they don’t always realize the risks that come along with being first.

Dr. Raquel Reis: I know, I know! I’m always looking for something new—something innovative to implement that will help me achieve better results. I thought, "What do I have to lose?" The worst thing that could happen was them saying no.

And then, it happened. Everyone in Brazil started doing it! I remember going to Brazil after I had taken that course, and my sister and my friends all wanted me to treat them. I had to tell them, "I can’t, because it’s not legal here." At that time, Botox wasn’t even legal in Brazil for dentists.

Over the years, I took a lot of additional courses in facial aesthetics. But now, with DSD and digital dentistry, my goals have shifted. My focus on digital dentistry is much stronger than on facial aesthetics—Botox and injectables are just a complement to my work.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely! But it’s important because it connects all the pieces for you. If you see something and you know the tissues matter for the overall result of a dental case, and the patient is asking for it, it’s all part of the process.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Exactly! People love cosmetic treatments.

And the third major change—the third key moment in my career—was DSD. I am passionate about DSD. You know how it is!

Maria Cabanellas: Yes, I do!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I can’t work without DSD. DSD has given me confidence.

Dr. Raquel Reis: I feel good. I have my conscience free of problems because I have this wonderful multidisciplinary platform that I can use every day with my patients. It’s such a valuable tool to educate them, to explain their treatment, and for them to actually see their end results even before we start—thanks to the mock-up. It’s so, so important.

Maria Cabanellas: Right! So, I mean, you’ve been involved in a lot of "firsts," right? You’re the first Brazilian female dentist in Chicago, one of the first to get into the Botox avenue of dentistry, and honestly, one of the first to be involved with DSD as well. Your journey with us has been a long one.

Can you share with others what it was like when you were first introduced to DSD and how it impacted your office and your dentistry?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! The first time I encountered DSD was actually in my hometown. Can you believe that? I went to Brazil and decided to take a course—it was the DSD Day.

So, I went there, and I saw friends I knew from my university, dentists I had met before, and I had so much fun at the course. It was incredible—the way they were showing how to do the mock-up and how to show the patient their ideal smile even before starting treatment.

I said, "This is a game-changer. There’s no way I’m going back to how I worked before."

So that’s how DSD first impacted me.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah! And now you’re a DSD Clinic.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! And to tell you the truth, I never thought I would come this far. Like you said, I always thought my office was simple—it’s not as fancy as some of the other DSD Clinics. And, for a long time, I didn’t step out of my comfort zone.

I wanted to stay close to my husband, be able to travel, and maintain my lifestyle. Having a doctor close to me always felt good and safe.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely. We all want to stay in that safe place.

Dr. Raquel Reis: And when I moved to this office, the hospital built everything for us. So it was an opportunity I couldn’t say no to. They built the cabinetry, they built the whole office, and they invited us to work here.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow, so they built the office for you?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes! Because my husband has a huge number of patients in the area.

Maria Cabanellas: So you had a great advantage in launching your own business, which most people don’t really have.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That’s true.

Maria Cabanellas: Given all the resources you had in the beginning, I would have assumed it would have been easier for you to become a DSD Clinic sooner in your journey with us. However, knowing you, I’ll share with others that… how many years have you been involved with DSD? When was your first course?

Dr. Raquel Reis: 2018.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow, 2018. So, considering it’s been that long since you started, and you just became a DSD Clinic within the last year—not even a full year—besides staying in your comfort zone, is there anything else that kept you from becoming a DSD Clinic sooner?

Any regrets that you didn’t start earlier?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, maybe. I thought I wouldn’t be able to become a DSD Clinic because I believed I didn’t meet all the clinic requirements—at least, in my own perception of what those requirements were.

But I now understand it’s not just about the facility itself; it’s about knowing the protocols, understanding the workflow, and being able to welcome and treat patients the way we want to.

At the time, I was also conflicted. I wanted to be with my husband at the reception, involved in the way we care for our patients, and I wasn’t sure how that would fit into the DSD framework. So, for a long time, I just told myself, "No way, I’m not even going to try."

Also, at my age, I didn’t want to start over with a brand-new practice. That’s a huge commitment.

But the reason I kept working toward it is because I am still so excited and fascinated by digital dentistry.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You know, and then I said, "No way, I cannot stop. I have to go forward. I have to leave this safe zone that I always look for."

I’ve always been someone who seeks out new things. I’ve always been a technology person.

When I opened my practice, I bought patient education videos—I had Casey. You probably don’t even know about it, but Casey had different types of tapes in Portuguese, English, and Spanish explaining the procedures.

If I had a Spanish-speaking patient—because at first, I had a real problem with Spanish—I didn’t even know I was going to see so many Spanish-speaking people. I didn’t know how to say "open your mouth" in Spanish! I had to start with small words just to be able to communicate and treat my patients.

So, I had to hire Spanish-speaking staff on top of everything else. After finishing school and opening my practice, I then had to learn to speak Spanish because I was treating so many Spanish-speaking patients. I remember thinking, "This is too much for me!"

But what could I do? I had to adapt.

Then I started investing in things that would help me—like intraoral cameras and digital X-rays. I was one of the first in my area to buy digital X-rays. That was a game-changer too!

Before that, we used to develop film manually, and it was so difficult.

Maria Cabanellas: Oh yeah, I remember those little aluminum film holders!

Dr. Raquel Reis: It was crazy! And then, one day, when I first used digital X-rays, the image just popped up on the computer screen instantly. Patients were in awe, and I was amazed too.

I was always willing to invest in the best tools.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes, being open to innovation is the number one piece to that, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, exactly! And sometimes, I would think, "Oh my God, this is so expensive." But then I’d tell myself, "I have to work a lot to pay for this, but it’s worth it. I can't work without it."

I didn’t care. My husband would ask, "What are you doing?" And I’d say, "I don’t care, this is the best thing—I’m going for it!"

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely!

So, how have things changed for you? Because, like I mentioned, you’ve been with DSD for a while. Anybody can practice dentistry, just regular mainstream dentistry, but how did it change for you once you became a DSD Clinic? You were in that journey for a while before you officially made the switch.

Dr. Raquel Reis: It changed the way I see my patients from the beginning to the end of treatment. It makes my workflow so much more efficient, faster, and predictable.

The results are usually exactly what we planned—copy and paste from the digital design to reality.

I really enjoy that, and now, I cannot work without DSD anymore because it guides me. It gives me structure and confidence in my work.

Before DSD, I was constantly referring patients to different specialists. I would send them to the periodontist for gum surgery, and then send them somewhere else for extractions. I do a lot of extractions myself, but I would send out the more complex ones just to make it easier on myself.

I’m also a solo practitioner, so I have to be very mindful of my resources. When it’s time to refer, I know it’s the right thing to do.

But now, with DSD, I feel more covered. I have that interdisciplinary approach right there with me.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely!

Dr. Raquel Reis: It’s a game-changer.

People say it’s expensive, but I don’t feel that way. It’s worth it.

At the very least, the planning alone is worth it. It guides you through all the steps you need to take. And the patients are on the same page—they have a better understanding of their treatment, a better education about their situation.

For me, there’s no other way. I don’t know how people work without it. DSD is a must.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes! And just to touch on that more—I think you can do dentistry without DSD, of course, but when people say it’s expensive, it really depends on what "expensive" means to them.

Is it the value of your time? Your energy? The patient’s happiness? The predictability of the final outcome?

These are things you can’t necessarily put a monetary value on.

I would say that’s how DSD Clinics help dentists overall. It’s not just about the case itself. You can find a designer, you can find a lab, right? But it’s the platform that makes the difference.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Exactly! Especially with implants and surgeries—having that interdisciplinary platform is crucial.

Dr. Raquel Reis: It makes a big difference, Maria. You can sleep better.

Maria Cabanellas: That’s exactly it.

Dr. Raquel Reis: And of course, it's a team effort too. You have to rely on your staff and be together on the same page. That’s where the coaching really helps. The coaching helped my staff get on the same page, understand the system better, and assist patients more effectively.

In the beginning, I was so stressed trying to implement DSD into my practice—it was a nightmare. I’m not going to lie.

I had to figure out the platform, learn new processes, and my assistants were getting overwhelmed. Some of them even left. I lost a few assistants in the process, and that was tough because I don’t work without assistants. I don’t have another doctor in my practice, so my assistants are crucial to making things run smoothly.

Before I even see the patient, they take care of X-rays, scans, paperwork, and photos—everything needs to be ready. If they don’t follow the protocol, then everything gets delayed, and it’s a mess.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s not just about teaching, though, right? Because you’re a great teacher. You have so much knowledge, you’ve done so many CE courses, and you have a ton of experience. I know you can teach DSD to anyone. Honestly, at this point, you could be part of the DSD team with all the courses you’ve been to!

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh, I love the DSD family! I’m telling you, I would be honored to be a part of the team.

But I just thought it was so interesting that you mentioned the coaching, and I’ll be honest, at first, I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to afford it. When you’re running a practice, there are so many things going on financially. And I was already slowing down my Dentistry—I’m a low-volume provider, you know that.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes, I do!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I like to take my time with patients. I enjoy educating them, explaining things thoroughly, and building strong relationships. That’s what sets private practice apart from corporate dentistry.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely.

Dr. Raquel Reis: But in the end, the coaching has been incredible. It’s affected me in ways I didn’t expect.

Maria Cabanellas: How so?

Dr. Raquel Reis: I’m happier. I’m more relaxed. Honestly, I would say it took 50% of the stress off my back. It’s made such a difference.

Of course, my team is still learning. We’re still in the process. I have assistants at different levels of experience—some of them had never even heard of DSD before they took the course.

But what really made a difference was when they attended the DSD Coordinator Course—that’s when they got serious.

The coaching program pushed us. It kept us accountable. We had to complete our tasks, have meetings, and communicate with each other.

And you know what? Those meetings made a huge difference.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely!

Dr. Raquel Reis: And sometimes, during those meetings, people say things they wouldn’t normally say—but it’s actually a good thing. It’s like a little therapy session. It opens our eyes.

Sometimes I catch myself thinking, "Oh my God, did I really do that? Do I really act like that?" It’s eye-opening, but in a good way. It helps us improve.

Maria Cabanellas: That’s amazing. And it’s important for all of us—not just in DSD, but in general—to check in with ourselves and ask, "Are we really being the best we can be?"

You nailed it with your team. They’re constantly involved, and that shows through good leadership.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Thank you, Maria!

Maria Cabanellas: Just had to slip a little compliment in there!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I’ll take it!

Maria Cabanellas: So, let’s talk about your office setup. You have a unique situation with the medical integration. Is there anything about your office that has helped you in your business?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Well, to tell you the truth, what sets us apart the most is DSD.

Being a DSD Clinic makes a huge difference. It elevates everything we do.

And for me, being the first DSD Clinic in Chicago is an honor.

Maria Cabanellas: I'm gonna get you a shirt that just says "The First" because I think that’s your overall title now—the first in everything!

Dr. Raquel Reis: Can you believe this? I didn’t know I was going to be the first! I was already expecting somebody else to start before me. I gave them a lot of time to find somebody here, right?

Maria Cabanellas: But part of the process, you know, is that you have to qualify for the certification, right? We don’t allow just anyone to be a DSD Clinic.

I know it seems like you gave a lot of time, but really, you were ahead of a lot of people just in your knowledge alone of how to do the DSD protocols and how to do the workflow with us. And so even as you were not being a DSD Clinic, you were still doing the things that a DSD Clinic would, right?

But I think the main difference there is that you didn’t really have the assistance from us. It was like taking all the knowledge and trying to figure it out on your own.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah, the problem was my staff. I lost two good staff members during COVID, and then the other ones were new. You know, it’s hard to find staff right away like this and teach them this different thing, you know? People come, they want to relax, they don’t… you know how it is.

Maria Cabanellas: Of course.

Dr. Raquel Reis: I don’t want to talk about that. That’s the hardest part. And then they don’t teach us how to manage the team and how to manage the business when you’re in school. I had to… I had to learn the hard way, you know? Like, alone.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s not just about the clinical skills.

Dr. Raquel Reis: No! It’s not just about the clinical skills. You have to learn business, otherwise, you’re screwed up.

And I was crazy enough to open my own clinic when I finished school, and I didn’t even speak Spanish or English that great, right? And I had to learn all the terms, all the words in English, all the instruments. I had to teach all my staff everything. It’s been, like, a great journey.

Maria Cabanellas: And it’s never-ending, right? It’s always evolving.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes!

Maria Cabanellas: That’s a very common concern for a lot of practices—the team itself. And I’ve talked to your girls, I’ve met them at courses, they’re so amazing. And I see the relationship you guys have with each other.

Will you share with the audience what you have learned in your experience with hiring and finding the right team members? Just what that process is?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh man, that is… you asked me the hardest thing in my life—to find staff.

I was about to quit my profession because I was afraid, I was tired of teaching. Honestly, the only thing that made me stay still, you know, and keep up with dentistry was the digital dentistry. Because I was tired. I said, "No way, I lost everybody."

And then, there’s this issue of the girls—sometimes they get pregnant and they have to leave. It’s really… it has been hard, staff issues.

But I cannot complain. I’m very proud of my staff, and they are a great support right now.

Maria Cabanellas: That’s amazing.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah, and they’re trying their best. And I’m very happy with the team that I have right now. Thank God. Thank God I got things settled.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah, yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: But it’s… to teach, you have to spend time. You have to just let them do it. Let them make mistakes. Make mistakes and then, "Oh, look, look what you did. This is not like this. This is like this. So next time, please do this, so it’s gonna happen this."

If you’re teaching your staff—because we even do mistakes too—so it’s like this, you have to be patient, take your time, and keep having your goal, you know?

Maria Cabanellas: And have that support on you, like you mentioned, you know?

And I didn’t mean for this to be all about DSD, but, you know, DSD is a huge part, I think, for your business today and really your whole pathway in your career.

You mentioned that being part of DSD was one of the things that got you through those tough moments.

Can you explain how exactly we helped in those tough moments?

Dr. Raquel Reis: What are you talking about?

Maria Cabanellas: With the team! You said that, you know, in those moments where maybe you’re losing your team members to pregnancies and being out of the office, but you kept going because DSD got you through those moments.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I would say, yeah. Yeah, it helps because at least you have the digital planning. So I didn’t feel alone. I didn’t feel alone.

And then, you know, the coaching really helps too. I didn’t have that before. So the coaching is something that is helping a lot, a lot, a lot.

And my team, they need to go through more of that too, because they’re still learning. They’re not there yet. But you have different stages of assistants, you know? Some of them never heard about DSD before, but they just went to your course, not the coordinator course, which I think helps a lot too.

And that’s when they really get serious, right? But the coaching was a great push.

"You have to do your tasks. You have to do this. You have to…" And then we have to talk to each other. We have meetings. That makes a big difference because then they tell things that they shouldn’t tell.

Maria Cabanellas: But it’s good, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: But it’s good because then, a little therapy, we open our eyes, like, "Oh my God, did I do that? Do I do that?" Yeah, it’s interesting. It’s, uh, it’s really good. It helps a lot.

Maria Cabanellas: It really does. You know, it’s important for all of us, really—not just in DSD, but in general, right?—to check ourselves from time to time and say, "Are we really as good as we can be?"

I think that you nailed that with your team. They’re constantly involved, and that shows through good leadership. So, um, just had to slip a little compliment in there.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Thanks, Maria.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes, it's because I love DSD. I got fascinated with DSD. That was in my vein. That was the only way that I could survive.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah.

Maria Cabanellas: After I lost some of my team, you know?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Right, right.

Maria Cabanellas: Some of my staff. I do hear a lot how DSD helps in meaningful relationships. That's one of our core outcomes that we strive for. And I've seen it firsthand—how we come in, and the team itself, the whole attitude kind of changes. And there's just that uplifting feeling of excitement.

I'm trying to think, in your situation where maybe you lose your DSD coordinator in the moment, and you have a DSD case coming up, how does that affect you?

Dr. Raquel Reis: That's good that you mentioned that. For me, it was overwhelming too, because that was the one that was more closely involved in the business side. And then comes the business problem. And I'm always alone, trying to work and make things flow, you know?

And then suddenly, she didn’t tell me—she just resigned. When I came back from my vacation, she was working someplace else. So that was, for me, devastating. But you have to go, you have to keep going.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: I just said, well, I have two choices—think about it, forget about everything, or go corporate. But I couldn't. I just liked DSD so much.

And I had another staff member that I had been with for a long time. She was really nice, and she always helped me so much. We've been taking so many courses together. We did Invisalign. We did Smile Design with 3Shape and iTero. We did a coordinator course together. We went to a lot of things—Pink Esthetics, Sirona.

So she's really involved. She's my friend, actually. I like her a lot.

Maria Cabanellas: See, that’s—

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yes, I like her a lot. And what happened is that we are together. "No, doctor, we're going to do it." "No, doctor, I’ll help you." But then she's in the chair, and I’m in the chair, and it’s like, "No, I help you."

It’s really hard to be outside of your chair, dealing with managing things. Then, thank God, I got one of my managers from the past, Gley, and she started. But it was so different. She was like, "Oh my God, what's going on here?!"

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Then I had to train again.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Then I had to send her to the DSD coordinator training because she's great too. She's helping me a lot with all the paperwork and financial things that she understands more than I do.

So it’s like a puzzle. Everything started working. And praying—praying, that’s, I think, what helps too. Asking for more good energy, especially when you're treating patients for the first time. You ask, it’s like praying for a good result.

That’s the way I am. I do it every time I start with a new procedure—I ask for good energy.

Maria Cabanellas: Your mindset, you know?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah, I need focus. Focus, focus. You know, in delivering dental care for the patient.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely. I think it's so easy to—well, it's human nature, right?—to focus on the bad that's in our way right now. And I want to say, as a DSD Clinic, you know, you have all the pieces in place. But life happens, right?

And it’s going to happen again. There are going to be people coming in and out of your office, pregnancies, breaks, or who knows—

Dr. Raquel Reis: COVID!

Maria Cabanellas: COVID, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: You don’t own your staff. You have to accept that. But you just get kind of, "Oh my God, what just happened to me?" All the time.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes. And so it's easy to get into that negative mindset sometimes, right? And I want to say that DSD helps because of the workflow. It almost forces you to focus on the patient, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Exactly!

Maria Cabanellas: Which is what we all do naturally anyway.

Dr. Raquel Reis: It’s patient-centric care.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s exactly patient-focused.

Dr. Raquel Reis: So you take your time with the patient, no matter how long it’s going to take. That’s the difference in my practice now. Before, everything was like production, production, production. Now, it's quality.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Regardless of what’s happening around me, my focus is different. We have to—well, even in the past, I was a little bit like, "Slow down," to be honest.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Because I always wanted to explain things to the patient, to be on the same page, and to have a good relationship with the patient—to be able to work together.

Because if the mindset of the patient isn’t good, how can you treat them? If they don’t rely on you, if they don’t trust you, how are they going to relax and—

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You know, and let you do the work?

Maria Cabanellas: Yes.

Dr. Raquel Reis: So it's important to have both—the patient and the doctor—on the same page too.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely. I think so. Absolutely. And that’s, I think, one of the most beautiful things about it—you’re the greatest example of being so dedicated to your beliefs and patient-centered care that when life happens and you lose a team member or your coordinator in the moment, you're so hyper-focused on what’s most important.

And so that gets you through the procedure, that gets you through the day, and that gets you through life in dentistry. Because it’s normal—we’re all going to have hiccups along the way, we’re all going to have—

Dr. Raquel Reis: The important thing is to follow your protocol.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You know, in dentistry, you cannot skip a step. If you skip a step, you're in trouble. You know, follow the protocol step by step. Try to be less invasive, use more guides—guided dentistry.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Is there anything better than that? No!

Maria Cabanellas: How did you know what protocol to go with, though? Because I think that there are so many in dentistry, and one’s not right or wrong, it’s just what fits you, right? So how did you know when you first went to DSD—what was it that clicked for you that made you say, "This is the road I want to go down"?

Dr. Raquel Reis: It gave me love in the industry again, Maria. It was like, "Oh my God!" It felt like you painted my profession—you gave colors to my profession, a different approach.

It wasn’t that routine thing anymore, you know? So I loved the way that DSD presents the cases and does the treatment planning. It’s a lot easier—it’s an educational tool. It’s a lot easier to get results and, financially too, to get the patient to accept the treatment.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You sell the treatment a lot easier if you know how to do the step-by-step thing, you know?

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah, or not at all, really, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: You do what you love best, and the case sells itself. When you love what you're doing, when you feel that, you know—

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That confidence, like, "I know how to do this. I know this is going to give you a result."

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You’re confident. There’s nothing that can change this. But when you don’t know what to say, what to show, what to explain, where to start—

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Then you lose.

Maria Cabanellas: Completely.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You lose the game.

Maria Cabanellas: Completely. It helps that communication piece tremendously, right? Because there are so many dentists out there that I see who say, "Oh, I don’t need any assistance in selling my treatment. My patients accept all the time."

Dr. Raquel Reis: No! People come with their own ideas already. It could be from another office, or because of their budget, or because they think, "No, I’m happy with my smile. I don’t care about those crooked teeth."

They don’t have any idea that orthodontic treatment isn’t just cosmetic, Maria. It’s about function too—the malfunction, the malocclusion. It affects 50% of the global population.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That’s a lot! And people don’t realize how important it is and how it’s going to affect their overall health.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: And DSD takes away that component where you have to tell people what to see, right?

Maria Cabanellas: It’s more visual.

Dr. Raquel Reis: More visual.

Maria Cabanellas: Yes.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Visual! You don’t have to tell them—it’s law, right? Remember, I told you, in the beginning of my profession, I would put tapes, tapes—but things change.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: What am I going to show now? Tapes? Nobody’s going to watch tapes anymore! There are so many things on Google. People already come with everything—they Google everything.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: They come in saying, "I have this, this, this, this, and this." I’m like, "Oh my God, when am I going to explain that that’s not exactly their situation?"

Maria Cabanellas: How do you handle that situation when the patients come in with their own diagnosis, and they’re like, “This is what’s wrong with me”?

Dr. Raquel Reis: I don’t change my ethics. Like I said, I have my protocol, and I try to explain to them, show them different cases.

The good thing is now I already have cases that I recorded from the beginning to the end, and I show them. Look, we have good tools—we have the scanner, the iTero, that helps educate the patient a lot with the time-lapse, with the cracks in the teeth, and things like that. That’s the simulation for you.

Then you can start. Every time you see eroded teeth or problems, you know you're going to get into trouble with that conversation. Because they’ll say, “No, my teeth are good, I did Invisalign, they’re aligned.” Then you see that the canine isn’t really touching, it’s broken, and—oh my God—they want you to do just one tooth.

You just have to tell them the truth. “Look, if I do that, it’s going to continue to ruin the rest of your mouth.”

So, I agree, it could be a little bit too much for you right now, but we can do transitional work. We can do transition work, and later on, we can start changing little by little, by quadrants, you know? Then it’s going to be more comfortable for you.

But it’s really hard—really hard.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: They think everything is cosmetic, and it’s hard to sell. It’s not easy.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: But I feel like if you have the best tools, if you have the right technology, and the right treatment plan, you can teach the patients.

That’s why you need time with the patient. Right?

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: There’s no way you can just say, “You need this.” People are searching, people are Googling. They see beautiful things online, and they think everything is aesthetics all the time.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Everything is aesthetics.

Maria Cabanellas: Perception is reality, right? It’s what they want to believe.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Right.

Maria Cabanellas: And it’s so challenging—not even just in dentistry, but in life—to convince someone.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah.

Maria Cabanellas: Especially with all the filters we have and the digital enhancements.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh my God.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s this standard of perfection.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Right.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s a challenge. But I love that you brought it up—how the visual communication aspect and having the Planning Center from DSD help you in regard to the treatment.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That’s one thing—I have to admit—it’s overwhelming. I really, I can’t work without it. It’s just easier to explain.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah, absolutely.

Dr. Raquel Reis: And I love seeing my work finished—the new smiles, the results of our patient’s smile.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Especially the mock-up. Sometimes it’s so emotional.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That you can put the final smile, the ideal smile, in the beginning before you even start your treatment.

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: That, for me, was a game changer too.

Maria Cabanellas: You get better.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah, no, you can’t go back.

Maria Cabanellas: No, you can’t go back. Well, I could talk to you forever. You’re like the ultimate girl’s girl. I just love talking to you.

But we’re running out of time, and we’re doing something new now in the Smile Business Diaries podcast, where we’re asking a question—

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh no!

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah, no, I didn’t send you that!

Dr. Raquel Reis: Oh no!

Maria Cabanellas: No worries, no worries. I’m going to ask you a question from a previous guest, so we have a connecting element to each podcast.

And it’s honestly a perfect question for you because it’s DSD-related.

A previous DSD Clinic wants to know: How do you attract more DSD patients to your office?

Dr. Raquel Reis: Okay, well, we’re using media.

We’re trying to improve our Instagram and Facebook. And actually, with this coaching, I was able to improve a lot of stuff—even my bio. I made a guide, showing our office, explaining about our office, and we’re going to do a video now explaining how we work from the first visit to the second, and then the final visit.

So I think you have to do those things because we have to take advantage of media nowadays. That’s the only way.

Or word of mouth—people that already came.

That’s how I attract patients, by showing my cases too. When you start having cases done, oh my God, that makes a big difference.

Because you get your iPad, and you show them—

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: “Here, look, this is what we’re doing. We see the patient the first time, we welcome them to our clinic, we build a good relationship with the patient first, and then we take photos. We do a video. We explain why we do it. We integrate the face with the smile. We integrate the airway. We help you breathe better.”

And I just did a course that was amazing, too, on how to open the maxilla—expanders—with Dr. Mandalaris here in Chicago and Dr. Ivan.

That was really—it’s a lot of things going on!

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah!

Dr. Raquel Reis: There are too many things that are going to improve dentistry. And digital dentistry is just going to continue—

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: It’s here as a reality, but it’s just going to keep evolving and evolving.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: It’s not going to change.

Maria Cabanellas: I think one of the parts to that too that not many think about is, you know, in the beginning, you may have to attract, right? And you do your first few cases.

But now that you have your portfolio set up, the thing is that you don't really have to look for the DSD patients at this point—they find you. Right?

And that's the position that you want to be in. And it sounds like exactly what you're setting up right now.

Dr. Raquel Reis: In the beginning, you have to explain a lot.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely.

Dr. Raquel Reis: You have to create the content, change the system. With the old patients, it’s hard.

Maria Cabanellas: Right.

Dr. Raquel Reis: They're used to one system, and then suddenly you're telling different stories.

So then I have to say, “I didn’t have this tool before,” or, “Now I have this,” or, “I didn’t have that knowledge before—I took some extra courses.”

Those things—it’s complicated to change, and there was a big change.

Maria Cabanellas: It’s an opportunity really to introduce something new to your patients. Right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: That’s a good opportunity too. It means we evolved.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely.

Dr. Raquel Reis: People like that about me, you know?

They say, “I like you, Doctor, because you're always doing more and more and more—a lot of continued education. I always come here, and there’s something different.”

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah.

Dr. Raquel Reis: “You’re always upgrading.”

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah. Up to date. That’s a great definition of you. You upgrade every day!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I love it.

Maria Cabanellas: Good job. You do—you do.

Dr. Raquel Reis: The first!

Maria Cabanellas: The first!

Dr. Raquel Reis: That’s great, isn’t it?

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I didn’t know that was going to happen to me. When I came to Chicago, I didn’t even know that I was the first Brazilian female dentist here.

Like, there was a guy dentist, but now there are a lot of dentists. But before, it was just me.

Maria Cabanellas: Wow.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Yeah, that was—

Maria Cabanellas: Oh my gosh.

Well, it’s so wonderful to learn all this about you, just seeing the consistencies of your character throughout your journey and how far you’ve come.

You know, being a new immigrant dentist from Brazil—it’s the American dream.

Dr. Raquel Reis: From where I came—

Maria Cabanellas: Yeah, that’s not easy.

So thank you so much for sharing all that.

Dr. Raquel Reis: No, I’ve been listening to all your podcasts. You’re nice.

Maria Cabanellas: Oh!

Dr. Raquel Reis: I like to listen when I’m driving.

Maria Cabanellas: Absolutely! Education never ends, right?

Dr. Raquel Reis: It doesn’t. I love to learn. I love to learn.

Maria Cabanellas: Thank you so much for sharing.

Dr. Raquel Reis: Thank you! It’s great to talk to you.