We have all been there. Broke, hungry, empty chairs. Looking for the magic bullet, the one thing that is going to change our practice -- the one marketing piece that is going to get us 50 new patients a month. That one technique that is going to make all the patients say, 'Wow, I'm gonna send my entire family to this guy because of what he does.'

However, I hate to say, there is no magic bullet. I learned that the hard way over the past 14 years in private practice. What there is is commitment and dedication -- to continue to learn, to continue to improve and, over time, something just clicks.

What used to be an appointment full of fillings and adjustments is now a schedule of quads and larger cases. You gain confidence and you treatment plan more comprehensively, simply because you know more from the education you have taken.

Look at the successful dentist who treatment plans comprehensively -- when a patient walks into his office -- he sees disease, he sees treatment need, he presents treatment that is the cost of a car.

Same patient walks into another office and the treatment plan is two buccal composites for the erosion and we will 'watch' the wear and broken teeth and worn fillings.

Why the difference? Is one doctor more aggressive, unnecessarily? Is the other doctor not aggressive enough? Bottom line is what we do in dentistry is elective, what we do is not life-or-death. What we provide is a better smile, the ability to eat and chew properly and the ability to give the patients confidence.

This confidence for the patient comes from the ability of the treating doctor to treat and diagnose, and the bottom line is that you and your team need to be on the same page.

Don't look for magic bullets to magically transform your practice and your life. What you have to do is commit. Commit to a lifetime of education, to make your self better and more knowledgeable.

It's the same as someone trying to lose weight -- they buy that magic pill thinking that those extra 30 pounds are just gonna come right off, not realizing that they need to have a lifetime of exercise and eating right -- that's the only way to a better life.