My practice was just recently acquired by Dr Will Burghardt of Luxesmile Dentistry in Marshfield. Smileboston South Shore was the previous practice, and although we weren’t supposed to know we were going to be sold, we all knew we were going to be sold. We knew that there was another Dentist trying hard to purchase the practice, but were shocked to find out January 2 of this year, that it was not who we had expected.

Change can be hard. Especially the unknown. The good news is that I had already known of Dr Will, and his outstanding reputation. So, I actually took so much comfort knowing he was now the owner of our practice.

The transition was challenging the first 2 months, because we were still operating as usual with all of our patients, but none of the transferring of ownership had been set up, so, as we were practicing our “daily routines”, there was actually extreme stress and chaos behind the scenes, while I was trying to get all the licensing of software, systems, labs, bills, equipment, etc transferred to Luxesmile, WHILE also figuring out how to re-credential the practice with new Tax ID. These are all things I had NEVER had my hand in, in all the years I have worked in the practice, and had to figure out rapid fire!

I had just been appointed as Practice Manager, and had no choice but to figure it all out, and FAST. Those first 2-3 months were a whirlwind, but I honestly think that they have put an incredible spark in my work performance to this day. I am proud of what I figured out without guidance, and it has 100% shaped me, even in the now 5 months I have been named Practice Manager.

I started in the Dental Field in 2012. I had been a professional Makeup Artist and Wardrobe Stylist in NYC for about 8 years before moving to Boston in 2007. In Boston, I worked in high end retail establishments, Neiman Marcus, Barneys, and Saks as a Sales Associate in Cosmetics and Women’s Designer Fashion.

Because retail can be a varied schedule working most weekends and holidays, I had always craved a normal schedule, and had for years considered working in the medical field in some facet. A former Sales associate at Saks had gotten an opportunity to work in a Dental Practice in Brookline, and knew that I wanted to broaden my horizons, and he recommended me because of my superior client/customer service. I started that practice with NO knowledge of Dentistry other than my going to the Dentist every 6 months. I had NO clue about anything other than being able to easily connect and interact with people. It took me a few months to get the hang of it, but I have NEVER wanted to turn back. This is where I belong!

My favorite part of the job is the patients! What we pride ourselves on is really getting to know our patients, and I love that when they walk in, I can personally greet them, and ask them about their family, or events/vacations they may have told us about in past visits. Some have come to us with insecurities regarding their smile, and months later after cosmetic treatment, they are happy and confident, and want to smile again for the first time in years! Making patients happy is what drives me!
I hate being the one to tell them the cost of things, or that they may have a long road ahead with visits…. I HATE that insurance companies are denying everything. I hate that the insurance companies sometimes give us incorrect plan information, and because of that we may be off on a quote.

Biggest challenge is treatment acceptance and keeping our schedule full. We have been “sold” 2x times now, and have had to “start over” because of it, so it can be tough to keep starting over. We have worked hard on training our patients, and teaching them how to treat us, but we still have a lot of patients that don’t value our time and cancel last min.

I wish I had been shown how to do ANYTHING I just had to figure out the last few months! We had so many team member before; the former Operations Manager (owner’s wife) had set most everything up, and each member had things they had specific responsibilities and accountabilities for, so no one really knew how to do anyone else’s job. I can tell you, I will be CROSS TRAINING our team as much as I can regarding basic practice management operations! I had never had to have my hand in any of those things, so never had the chance to learn those tasks until there was no one else but me to do it!! haha

I just read (well, I “listened” to the Audible version of…) Dental Practice Hero, by Dr. Paul Etchison, and found one of my new favorite quotes. The Actual quote by Henry Ford is: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you will always get what you’ve always got.”

But- the adaptation of that quote I LOVE is by a character from Kung-Fu Panda: “If you only do what you can do, you’ll never be better than what you are. “

I had worked with Tricia Hurley at Saks, and when I was asked in 2016 to become Practice Manager, I knew I could not commit at the time, because I knew that the hours the former owners required inside and outside of work was not anything I could commit to at that time. I had an infant, and my husband travels a lot for work.
I brought Tricia in to become our OM, and I was always so envious when she went to these meetings. She always came back so excited and so motivated. She loved sharing everything she learned with us. I could not WAIT to ask Dr Will if I could participate! It is always nice to hang out with your peers, especially those whom have been in the industry and I have so much to learn from. I truly look up to so many of you, and look forward to not just learning more about each of you personally, but learn how you keep your offices successful!

When I am not at work, you can find me spending time with my Husband Anthony and my 4 year old son Guerin. We love to be outside, hiking, biking. And in the summers, we spend as much time at the beach as we can!

Thank you so much for letting me be a part of this group!