Join these awesome speakers throughout the event. They come from various working backgrounds and experience and will come with a wide array of thoughts and opinions.
Steps to go about opening your practice from scratch and some of the most commonly asked questions fellow orthodontists have asked me about the process.
Dr. Maggie Law is board-certified orthodontist practicing in Birmingham AL. She is a graduate of UAB’s dental school & orthodontic residency programs. Upon dental school graduation, she received the school's highest honor, the Dean's Medal for exceptional leadership and scholastic ability, given to one graduating senior. After associating, she knew it was time to open her own boutique-style office in March 2020 from scratch. Dr. Maggie prides herself on southern hospitality, efficient treatment outcomes, & excellent clinical care. She loves coffee, digital technology, greeting her patients by name, college football, being a mom of three & spreading joy with a smile.
Dr. Natalie Parisi, with her partner Dr. Denny Mauro, of ROG Orthodontics have continued the 60-year tradition founded in part by her father, Dr. Vince Parisi, of providing the finest orthodontic care. With three locations and 40 employees, ROG has been in Wyomissing, Pennsylvania since 1969 and has earned a reputation as one of the top orthodontic providers in eastern Pennsylvania.
As resident at Eastman Dental Center in Rochester, New York, Natalie focused on craniofacial anomalies and timing growth-related treatment plans, using the hand-wrist x-ray. Natalie and the rest of the ROG team have been using the Herbst appliance for Class II correction for more than 25 years. After having treated over 1,000 Herbst cases, Dr. Nat believes that a well-planned protocol incorporating variable anterior torque delivers consistent and excellent results.
What should an associate look for in a contract; what should an owner offer in a contract; how can an owner know if he or she is even ready to take on an associate?
Dr. Prashansa Sharma-Makwana grew up as an only child moving around the U.S. and was expected to be a doctor-of-some-sort by her Indian parents. Fortunately, she had a wonderful female orthodontist that inspired her and eventually had a dentist as a neighbor that let her help in his office throughout high school and college. Since receiving her DMD from Case Western Reserve University and her orthodontic certificate from Tufts University, Prashansa has been practicing as an associate in the Phoenix area for almost seven years. She and her husband have an 18-month-old daughter named Sahaana, meaning “patience.”
Dr. Courtney Dunn is a practicing orthodontist, wife, mother of three, the Founder of Women in Orthodontics® and the Co-Founder of Dunn Orthodontics, a multi-location orthodontic practice in Phoenix, Arizona. Described as smart, ambitious, opinionated and a force of nature, Courtney has won the Milo Hellman Award, served as President of the Arizona State Orthodontic Association and been interviewed by such diverse media sources as National Public Radio (NPR) and Fox News Channel. Dunn Orthodontics was recently named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies and the Phoenix Business Journal’s list of the Largest Family-Owned Businesses in the Phoenix area.
The psychological, personal, and long-term effects of our relationship with our finances, why we don’t want to talk about this subject, and how we can master it.
Dr. Emily Peppers has been an orthodontist in Flagstaff, Arizona for almost 10 years. She and her husband have been foster parents to 4 children, adoptive parents to 2, biological parents to 1, and also have some saltwater fish that seem to be doing okay. In addition to her hobbies of hiking, skiing, and acquiring holiday-scented candles, Dr. Peppers has a true passion for creative approaches to money and debt management. She firmly believes that women should be in control of their financial lives, and is thrilled to be speaking on this subject at WIO 2023!
Dr. Megan LeCornu is the owner of Embrace Your Smile Orthodontics in Southern California. She has multiple publications in peer-reviewed journals and enjoys presenting lectures and cases to students and colleagues at continuing education events. Dr. LeCornu is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a member of the American Association of Orthodontists and the American Dental Association. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry while minoring in Psychology at the University of Denver. She then went on to Harvard School of Dentistry, where she received her Doctor of Dental Medicine degree. Afterwards, she pursued her orthodontic training at the prestigious University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Dr. Jeannie Moody was voted most likely to be convicted in her high school graduating class. Despite her rebellious youth in small town Colorado, she went on to earn her undergraduate and dental degree from the University of Florida and her orthodontic certificate from the University of Colorado. Dr. Moody owns and operates two orthodontic practices in Austin, Texas and nearby Dripping Springs. She is a thriving single mother to twin girls and her son. Dr. Jeannie Moody has been speaking to women and other orthodontists about accountability, mindset work and vulnerability. She is passionate about personal growth and becoming the best leader and person one can be.
Harrison Bagdan, the Senior Practice Advisor at HIP, will be walking you through how they have helped practices grow 300-500% in a single year and also how you can fix the “leaky bucket” of new patients in your practice that could be costing you $1,000,000 per year, without needing to spend a single extra dollar on marketing efforts.
Harrison Bagdan is the Senior Practice Advisor at HIP Creative and has become the big personality he is today from his experiences.
Harrison went to college on a lacrosse scholarship and studied Kinesiology--the study of the movement of the human body--and Athletic Training. During his sophomore year when he was 19 years old, he left college to pursue a business in the sales and marketing industry where he truly gained his knowledge and education. After leaving school, he read more books than in his entire high school and college career combined.
After becoming independent before the age of 21, it was then that he realized the value of personal development; continuous education; and constant, never-ending improvement. He regularly continues to read books and attend seminars to improve himself. A quote that he lives his life by is, "In order to help people up, you must first be on higher ground."
Now, at the ripe age of 29, Harrison has personally trained and coached thousands of people on sales and marketing to help them 3x-5x their businesses. His personal passion today is to help people to realize that they are better than they think they are.
Nicole McFarlane is the Office Manager of Dunn Orthodontics and a mother of two young boys. Nicole joined the Dunn Orthodontics team in October 2014 as a Scheduling Coordinator and quickly demonstrated her leadership and business acumen. By the summer of 2015, she had accepted the role as Office Manager. Nicole now manages a very busy two-doctor, four-location practice with 25+ employees. Dunn Orthodontics was listed among the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies and the Phoenix Business Journal’s Largest Family-Owned Businesses.
In addition to her duties for Dunn Orthodontics, Nicole is an accomplished consultant and speaker. She is a frequent contributor at Dunn Education events such as the Office Manager Workshop and Ortho Team Bootcamp.
Do you wish your daily work life was drama free? Would you like to handle difficult conversations with ease? Can you become a communication Wonder Woman? Discover how DiSC personality profiling can be used to create a harmonious work environment.
Dr. Jessica Backinger is a private practicing orthodontist in Jackson, Michigan. She received her undergraduate degree from Kalamazoo College, her DDS from Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and her orthodontic certificate from Rutgers University. Jessica purchased her first practice in 2013 and her second practice in 2014. Along with working in private practice, she also teaches a business management course for the orthodontic department at Detroit Mercy. Her passions include: team building, traveling, reading and spending time with her family. She has been married to her husband, Douglas, for 12 years and is the proud mother of a 7-year-old girl, Sophia, and a 5-year-old son Connor. You can follow her on TikTok @summitorthobraces.
Dr. Nicole Wax is known as the small town orthodontist because of where she grew up and where she practices in Michigan. She grew what has been termed "the fastest growing practice" because of her ability to be a visionary and lead her team with tremendous focus and passion. She has lectured around the country about some of her favorite topics which include marketing, goals, and growing people,teams, and strong leaders. One of her superpowers is identifying hidden areas of weakness, finding ways to overcome those, and strengthening the business in the aftermath.
Those that work closely to her describe her as "being supportive and instilling confidence", “an individual who builds empires”, “drives people to be their best selves”, “brings energy, intensity and encourages individuals to be their best and accomplish more than they thought was possible”.
Dr. Tuhina Roy graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine in 2004. She did a general practice residency at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York City and completed her orthodontic residency at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, TN in 2009. After graduation, she returned to her home state of New Jersey and opened a practice in 2012 right outside of New York City. In 2016, she faced a medical emergency that left her permanently disabled from the clinical practice of orthodontics. She was ready to give up on her practice and on the profession of dentistry but her father encouraged her to hire an associate and keep going. Dr. Roy will discuss how she overcame this life altering situation and managed to stay relevant in orthodontics while also growing her practice. Outside of the office, she would describe herself as a "theme park mom." She has two children, Rayna and Rylan, and stays busy with their lives and activities in their hometown of Metuchen, NJ.
Dr. Chris Bonebreak Jackson will discuss the advantages of a fully customized, 3D-printed bracket system and show tips for effective case management from start to finish.
Dr. Jackson received her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from MIT, after which she parlayed a poker hobby into a five-year career as a High-Yield Bond Trader for Goldman Sachs. She then attended the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and completed her orthodontic residency at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Following residency, she obtained funding from the National Science Foundation to investigate 3D metal printing protocols for orthodontic appliances. Today, she is a clinician in private practice, is adjunct faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and innovates with LightForce as Director of Clinical Affairs. She resides in Lexington, MA with her husband and three daughters.
Dr. Morgan fell in love with dentistry working at a local, free, dental clinic while studying chemistry at Mary Washington College, now known as the University of Mary Washington, in Fredericksburg. After graduating magna cum laude from MWC, she attended the Harvard School of Dental Medicine and was truly honored to study under some of the finest professors in dentistry. Dr. Morgan has extensive training with all variations of orthodontic care from simple cases to the most complex. She has been a member of two different Craniofacial/Facial Reconstruction Teams, specifically Louisville and Harvard. Dr. Morgan has had years of experience with complex cases that require orthognathic jaw surgery. She has personally had jaw surgery and therefore has a unique approach on both a personal and professional level. After receiving her doctorate, she studied orthodontics for two years at the University of Louisville, where she earned a master’s degree in oral biology and a certificate in orthodontics.
Cathy Hazen began her professional career in Automotive Sales and transitioned into the world of orthodontics as a Treatment Coordinator in 2009. She is the Operations Director for Petrous Orthodontics which is a large practice in Royal Oak, MI, a Northeast suburb of Detroit. She was established as an Invisalign faculty member in 2010 and has helped multiple practices achieve Diamond Plus status with Align Technology.
While using customer service lessons from attending Dale Carnegie and The Disney Institute, and her strong background in sales, Cathy has worked out effective ways to increase case acceptance without the “pushy car salesperson”
Dr. Kyle Fagala is the owner and orthodontist at Saddle Creek Orthodontics, with two locations in Germantown and Collierville, Tennessee. He is co-founder of the digital marketing agency Neon Canvas where he serves as the President of Neon Media. Dr. Kyle also hosts a podcast called The Digital Orthodontist: Live! and is author of the children’s books “The Best Faces Wear Braces" and the soon-to-be-released "There's Nothing Finer Than Aligners."
Dr. Kyle graduated from UT Memphis in 2013 with a certificate in orthodontics and a master's degree in Dental Science for his thesis on three-dimensional imaging of the airway. Dr. Kyle is the course director and lecturer of Development of the Occlusion, a class for first-year dental students at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, and a Key Opinion Leader for 3M Oral Care. He loves music, specifically the drums, and indulges in a host of hobbies including cooking, travel, pinball, trivia, and Memphis Grizzlies basketball. Dr. Kyle, his wife Anna, and their four children Charlie, Libby, George, and Lucy live in Germantown and attend Highland Church of Christ.
Anna Fagala is the perfect complement to Dr. Kyle Fagala and has been his wife for 16 years. She is also the mother to Charlie, Libby, George, Lucy, and Saddle Creek Orthodontics.
Anna graduated with degrees in Broadcast Journalism and Education, but her entire professional career has been spent in the sales and administrative sides of orthodontic practices. After working in 2 different practices during Kyle's years of training as a Scheduling Coordinator and Treatment Coordinator, she then worked with Kyle to plan, launch, and grow Saddle Creek Orthodontics over the last 10 years.
Anna is a dedicated worker and friend and is passionate about the relationship side of orthodontics. She knows that as leaders the most important relationships we foster and maintain are the ones with our teams, followed by the families who trust us with their care. While she plays many roles on Team SCO, her favorite role is Treatment Coordinator where she gets to encourage that initial enthusiasm for the value of orthodontic treatment. Her most important and cherished role in life, though, is as a support and champion of Kyle and their family.
In her free time, Anna loves to cook, host, and feed anyone in her general proximity. For better or worse, "no" is a word that does not exist in her vocabulary, and she places great value in finding a way to make time for everyone.
Chosen as one of the top leaders in dental consulting by Dentistry Today, Len Tau, DMD, has dedicated his professional life to improving dentistry for both patients and other dentists.
After purchasing his practice, the Pennsylvania Center for Dental Excellence
in Philadelphia in 2007, Len practiced full-time while consulting to other dental practices, training thousands of dentists about reputation marketing, leading the dental division of BirdEye, a reputation marketing platform, and hosting the popular, Raving Patients podcast. He recently authored the book Raving Patients and 100+ Tips to 100 5 Star Reviews in 100 Days released in March 2022.
In 2018, Len cut down to practicing dentistry two days per week to focus additional time and attention to helping other dentists build broad and compelling online footprints that attract hundreds of new patients to their practices. In October 2021 he sold his dental practice but continues to provide his patients dental care 2 days per week while commuting from Parkland, Florida where he has resided since October 2020. In July 2022 Len announced his retirement from clinical practice effective December 2022.
Len lectures nationally and internationally on using internet marketing, social media, and reputation marketing to make dental offices more visible and credible as well as how to increase their case acceptance.
Dr. Miller will be sharing her practice transition journey from partnership with her father, to solo practice, to joining her colleague/competitor practicing ¼ mile from her solo office and currently working for the State of Missouri. She earned her master’s in public health and currently serves as Missouri’s state dental director. Her presentation will also include a brief look into her passion of missionary dentistry.
Dr. Miller is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and a Fellow of the International College of Dentists and the American College of Dentists. She is a member of the Southwest County Dental Society, the Missouri Society of Orthodontists, Midwestern Society of Orthodontists, American Association of Orthodontists, and the Washington University Orthodontic Study Club. She previously taught 9 years at the St. Louis University Orthodontic Residency Program before starting her Masters in Public Health program at ATSU.
Gain simple, implementable tips and tricks to identify great marketing opportunities, capture more leads, and curate an unforgettable patient experience that will build a foundation for lasting (and maybe even magical!) new patient growth for your practice.
Becky Page is the Regional President of Operations for Orthodontic Partners and brings 30 years of orthodontic practice and leadership expertise to the organization. Prior to joining Orthodontic Partners, Becky began her career at one of the largest Dental Service Organizations, and spent nearly a decade at a Pediatric and Orthodontic DSO as the Director of Orthodontics. Under her leadership, the organization grew quickly from 4 to 60 Orthodontists and now serves about 100 locations across the country. Prior to her Regional President of Operations role with Orthodontic Partners, Becky served as the organization’s Vice President of Practice Transitions. Becky has held a number of front-line roles, including Scheduling Coordinator, Clinical Assistant (ortho and general), Treatment Coordinator, Purchasing, Office Manager, Regional Manager, Trainer, and Director of Transition Success.
Learn how to make your marketing investments work for you – and how every aspect of a patient’s treatment journey can make or break your cost per new patient and overall practice growth.
Grace Griffin is the Marketing Manager for Orthodontic Partners. Grace formerly led the marketing team for Dr. Jamie Reynolds’ four-location practice in metro Detroit, Michigan. During her time with the practice, she developed automated digital marketing systems while setting new standards for customer service and team organization. Through the pandemic shutdown, she led the team through a number of virtual community involvement initiatives and a virtual consultation process that landed the practice at the top of OrthoFi’s leaderboard for practice production during the shutdown. Grace has held several orthodontic practice roles, including Scheduling Coordinator, Treatment Coordinator, and Office Manager for Reynolds Orthodontics’ de novo location. Grace brings perspective from a lifetime in a family-owned insurance agency in Detroit, observing her grandfather (and, later, her mother) lead at the helm of the business.
Dr. Matthew Dunn is a board-certified orthodontist with 4 offices in the Phoenix/Scottsdale metro area. Dr. Dunn attended the University of Michigan for his Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science in Orthodontics. He is the recipient of both the Thomas M. Graber Award of Special Merit and the Charley Shultz Resident Scholar Award from the American Association of Orthodontists. Dr. Dunn’s practice, Dunn Orthodontics, was named to the Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Private Companies and the Phoenix Business Journal’s list of the Largest Family-Owned Businesses in the Phoenix area.
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