An interview with DEBRA SEIDEL BITTKE, RDH, BS

GETTING PERSONAL:

 

1. Your strengths: Creating programs and curriculum for the hygiene department. Prevention for patients and how to get patients to say “YES” to your care.

 

1. Your weaknesses: Marketing my business and selling myself.

 

1. An ideal Sunday: Sundays are church and rest

 

1. Your favourite sports: Currently I do a lot of exercise which includes lifting weights. I love tennis.

 

1. Yours favourite dish: Sushi

 

1. An ideal working day: My ideal work day is having breakfast and coffee with my husband in the mornings. He oversees the financial aspects of Dental Practice Solutions and works with some of the dentists on their financials. We have a morning team meeting to discuss what we need to accomplish for the day and upcoming tasks, events. We suggest our clients have a morning team meeting so we do the same for our business.

      I have about two or more phone meetings each day with dentists.

 

1. Your hobbies: Fitness, reading various books, travels, quilting,

 

1. Your favourite TV shows: Many of the reality shows. I can just get lost in these. No thinking is required.

 

1. Interesting experiences and anecdotes from your practice:

      Lived in Spain at age 18 for a summer. My mother died of endocarditis. Last time she had hygiene appointment with me I found an abscess on lower left molar. She had the tooth extracted, a bridge placed and two months later died of endocarditis. This has made me passionate about spreading the word that Oral Health Contributes to our Overall Health!

 

1. The book you are currently reading:  I am reading many books. Once is called “Crucial Conversations.” Another one is The Big Leap.

 

1. Your favourite procedure: Scaling and Root Planning. I am a hygienist so go figure!!  J

 

1. A few time management tips: Begin with the end in mind.

 

 For example meet with your team each morning. This is NOT to discuss patients and flip thru charts but to discover what you don’t know.

 

Each team member has already audited their charts before the morning to discover things like:

Does the patient have outstanding treatment that needs to be scheduled?

Does the patient have a family member that needs to see the hygienist?

Even down to “Does the patient have a birthday this week?”

Even the personal things count!

 

1. Your message to young dentist and students?

      “Status-quo” is not a word. Nix that word and replace it with “Mastery.”

 

I think it is sad that dentists spend a lot of money and time in dental school and then building a practice (their business); then many of these dentists, I see them basically run their practice into the ground 20, 30, or 40 years later.Now their dental business is not worth any money. Some just give their business away or sell for very little money when this could be a big part of your income for retirement.

 

Think of this as an investment and you can consistently build your dental practice to be sustainable and something you will sell and add to part of the money for your retirement.Be open to having a mentor—a dental expert to keep you constantly, always moving forward to be your very best you can be.

 

1. Your husband’s contribution in your career:

      My husband is my biggest supporter. He is the one who told me I could build an empire. He saw me making big bucks for my dental hygiene society as the president and told me I had the ability to make money for myself by sharing my knowledge. I used to make a lot of money annually for the dental hygienists in my community and never would have thought that I could do this and make money for my own business IF I had a business. The rest is history.

 

1. How much time and money do you spend on CE:I spend maybe $5,000 annually as I travel to a lot of dental meetings. I spent thousands of hours educating myself and maybe 50 hours annually attending continuing education.

 

1. Are you looking backward or forward?

      Always looking forward

 

1. Your favourite vacation spot: Somewhere warm with a beach. Most recently was Hawaii but give me sun, warm temperatures, a beach, and I am happy!

 

1. You are passionate about: Prevention of oral disease, eating healthy and exercise.

 

1. Your favourite book: The Bible

 

1. Your favourite music: Soft rock and Top 40

 

1. Philosophy of life: I want to make life easy and enjoyable for others.

 

1. Your comments on http://www.dentistrytoday.info:

      It feels easy to search and manoeuvre around. What you are doing is amazing! You are creating a space for colleagues to learn from the best experts.

 

I want to compliment Dr. Veerendra Darakh for all of his efforts and hard work. This site is the very best place and resource for Asian dentists to gather information to help support their dental career.

 

http://www.dentistrytoday.infois a great support for women and student dentists. I also see this as a place to learn about dental products, technology and education so it allows a strong force for dental corporations to be seen globally.

 

If a company is looking to increase their revenue by promoting their products, this is a great place for them to be.