Excelling in the Mainstream

 By Mark Stasiulis

 Take a drive through Bensenville, Illinois and you will find yourself in Middle America, both literally and figuratively. A suburb of Chicago located not far from O’Hare Airport; Bensenville is where Dr. Mark Stasiulis has been practicing dentistry for the past 24 years. Far from the glamour and glitz of the Magnificent Mile in downtown Chicago, Dr. Stasiulis views his facility as representative of the typical dental practice in the U.S., performing “bread and butter” dentistry. “We don’t look anything like those high-image places you see in the dental trade publications,” remarked Stasiulis. His patients, however, appreciate the high-tech and high-touch approach to dentistry taken by their dentist, a solo practitioner who does much of the work himself. Dr. Mark Stasiulis Bensenville, Illinois.

 Over the past decade, he re-engineered his practice to incorporate new technology. The journey began in 2000, when he took a course on micro dentistry. This led to an investment in an electric handpiece, Diagnodent caries detection unit, and air abrasion system. His production grew immediately by 27%. “The Diagnodent unit really convinced me that early diagnosis of the decay process led to more conservative early treatment.” The air abrasion system with its promise of conservative preparations with no need for anesthetic seemed perfect for these types of restorations. Dr. Stasiulis was frustrated by the dirt and dust created by air abrasion and how it irritated his breathing. The following year he purchased a WaterlaseTM laser (BIOLASE, San Clemente, CA). That was in July 2001. Now, nearly 5 years later with the addition of a LaserSmile diode laser (BIOLASE, San Clemente, CA) Dr. Stasiulis has a wealth of experience with the lasers and how they have impacted his practice. “They filled a void in the type of care I wanted to offer,” he said. “My days are so much better knowing that I use these lasers to solve problems that present themselves on a daily basis...from desensitizing sensitive roots and painful Aphthous ulcers in less than a minute, to the advanced surgical procedures many of which require only topical anesthetic. I have performed so many restorations with the minimal use of additional anesthetic that they have become routine.”

Pain management with the lasers has been a great marketing procedure in his practice. ”The LaserSmileTM diode laser is used daily to deliver ‘low level laser herapy’ that relieves many painful dental conditions.” As one patient who received laser treatment for facial pain said, “It’s a miracle.” “Our patients’ perception seems to be that we are using state-of-the-art technology to give them less invasive treatment for their dental needs. The hardest question I have to answer is why more dentists don’t use lasers.” The lasers have dramatically impacted his patients’ perception of dentistry and of him as a dentist. “My practice and what we do cause our patients to believe that their friends need to know about what we are doing and why we are different.” Using 10 years of data from the practice, one can see the impact that the lasers has made on a host of financial variables. Annual production has nearly doubled from $279,000 in the late 1990s to $529,000 with four full years of laser usage (Figure 1). The average number of new patients per year has grown 29% over the long term (Figure 2), “An appropriate amount,” says Dr. Stasiulis, “for a stable practice that does no advertising.” To the contrary, he has used the laser to market “internally” and builds upon the relationships with existing patients. The Waterlase has allowed him to do advanced procedures and eliminate the return trips for many of his patients. “They love the convenience as well as the higher-tech approach.” Not surprisingly, new patients often travel from 1–2 hours to the office because they’ve been referred by enthusiastic patients. Beyond revenue and new patients, the effect on his practice can be seen in both the types of procedures he now performs (Figure 1) and the average charge per procedure, which has grown from $89 in 1996 to the $150-$160 range in the past year. Dr. Stasiulis spends part of his time as a trainer and teacher to help new laser dentists gain confidence and proficiency in use of the technology. “I am self taught, which was necessary five years ago because the collective experience was somewhat limited. It’s much easier today, with many more courses, materials and laser-based colleagues who allow us to learn from one another.” He added that it is essential for new users to “stick to the bread and butter” procedures that are easier to do and will help gain confidence. According to Dr. Stasiulis, all classes of decay, soft tissue work such as gingivectomy, and frenectomy and cosmetic gingival recontouring are all good procedures to start with. “One mistake new users make is that they want the laser to do ‘everything,’ which is unrealistic of any technology, even one as remarkable as the Waterlase.” However, on a recent training day a new user (Dr. Mark Bancroft) performed a vestibuloplasty as his first laser procedure under Dr. Stasiulis’s watchful eye. “I was so proud of this dentist that embraced the new technology and performed this procedure like he had been using it for years; by the way, with no anesthetic except some topical.” His results bear out this experience, as the number of advanced procedures performed has increased dramatically in the third and fourth year since first acquiring the Waterlase. “It takes time to gain the confidence and get good enough to do the procedures taught in the advanced courses. All users will advance their utilization to their individual comfort zone. The list of procedures I don’t do is much shorter than the list of those I can.” Dr. Stasiulis recently added the new Waterlase MD to his practice. “This new unit is a quantum leap forward from my original Waterlase. It delivers better custom control over desensitization, restoration procedures and unbelievable soft tissue capabilities. This is the unit of choice for dentists to incorporate into their treatment regime.”

Aside from managing the learning of the technology, Dr. Stasiulis comes across colleagues every day who are just unsure if the investment makes financial sense. “On the first day I used the laser, my wife made me keep track of the procedures, I couldn’t have done that day without the use of the laser to see if it would pay for itself each day. On the third day, she told me to stop keeping track. She saw it was clearly paying for itself right from the start.” He added, “Doctors view this as a $75,000 investment, which is wrong. This is a $90 a day decision: The right question is, ‘can I perform $90 of additional laser treatment each day?’ in order to offset the lease or loan cost when broken down into a daily amount.” It is this type of analysis that, according to Dr. Stasiulis, is what will create a “tipping point” in dentistry. “Awareness of lasers in medicine and in dentistry simply amazes me. Patients are being exposed to laser-assisted dental treatment through the media. They are looking to our profession for this type of treatment. Currently only 5%-6% of dentist utilize lasers in their practices. I would recommend all dentists considering adding laser treatment into their practices to read the best seller, Who Moved My Cheese. There is a paradigm shift occurring in dental treatment today. It’s great to be part of this movement toward minimally invasive dentistry.” Dr. Stasiulis’s’ enthusiasm for the laser is buoyed by the fact that he treats bluecollar workers as well as CEOs. “My practice isn’t fancy, but I wanted to give mainstream America cutting-edge technology when it came to the care of their teeth and mouth.” The impact on his patients and his practice has been nothing short of remarkable. My patients love it, and my production and profitability (65% of revenue) have increased. The laser has been a technology investment that has made money and improved customer satisfaction. I rarely see this in dentistry with other devices being promoted to our profession.” His final words of advice to those who are “on the fence” about laser technology: “It doesn’t matter what kind of practice you have. Learn to use this laser, it will improve your bottom line and it also is a heck of a lot of fun.”