My license plate reads “Dr. Bond.” It always draws curious looks. When people ask, I tell them that I am a dentist, “You know, 007, license to drill.” I have had that vanity plate for many years. It has come to represent a timeline of my career in dentistry. My early years were just about filling and drilling. The middle years were spent learning technical dentistry, and as you will soon see, with a concentration on cosmetics, hence bonding. In the later years, when I wrote my book, The Art of the Examination, “Dr. Bond” began to represent a bonding or connection with people.

L.D. Pankey described one arm of his Cross of Dentistry as Know Your Work. He explained that the work dentists needed to know was both technical and behavioral. Like most dentists, I began my career trying to become an expert by taking as many technical courses as I could. I naturally gravitated to restorative dentistry because I enjoyed providing people with satisfying results. I graduated dental school in 1973, the dawn of the cosmetic era. I was what some call an early adopter.

I did my first veneer case in 1977 with a product that makes me laugh today… Mastique. I don’t remember that case turning out all that well. Of course times have changed. Adaptec, Concise and Mastique are long gone from our shelves, replaced by some pretty wondrous materials.

These days we even have a book, REALITY, that is devoted to all of the products and techniques available to us who choose to stay on the cutting edge of restorative dentistry. The last time I looked that book came in a two-volume set. Things were so much simpler back then. But the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Eventually I had to go back to my office and practice the new techniques on my own. I took course after course, some good and some not so good. The best ones, I felt, were the ones that taught me how to diagnose and treatment plan, because they took the emphasis off of the products and placed the responsibility for predictable dentistry on the thought process that the dentist applied. These courses blew me away because, for the first time, I had the tools to treat so many of the complex cases that I loved to do. The most important tool I felt was the “comprehensive examination.”

I went back to my practice obsessed with the comprehensive examination process. I looked at the process as a tool, like one of those Swiss Army knives that would enable me to take on any job no matter how complex. But like the Swiss Army knife, I had to become proficient in every aspect of its use.

The examination, I soon found out, was responsible for more success than any “technique” I had ever learned, because now, for the first time I was able to unlock the secrets of getting my patients to say “yes” to high quality, predictable comprehensive dentistry. I had found the keys to the kingdom, and I wanted to share the secret with everyone.

So I wrote a book. The Art of the Examination exceeded my highest expectations in sales to the public and private sectors. What I continued to learn through my obsession with the examination was that I still didn’t know everything. As a matter of fact, I had just touched the tip of the iceberg. What I did accomplish in writing the book was that I had verified my mindset. I had confirmed that the model of dentistry, which I had only been able to dream about, was really possible.

The second thing I learned was, as mentioned above, that the examination process was a new toolset that was even more powerful than I ever imagined. The examination process was a practice alignment tool like the auto-focus mechanism on your camera. Through the mindset, a vision of practice is created and then the examination continues to keep every aspect of the practice aligned, from patients and staff to the most important person in the practice…the one who gets out of focus more than anyone else…ME!

The third thing that I learned was that the examination process required many skills. These skills were the very same ones that L.D. Pankey was referring to, in his Cross of Dentistry – both the technical and the behavioral.

I spent years and years and thousands of dollars trying to perfect what I call the key skill areas that are responsible for success. I was obsessed and very impatient. I made every mistake in the book (my book too). I wished that help was available to learn these skills quicker. I struggled through trial and revelation. Many times I left the office feeling as if I would never get it right. The technical skills were easy compared to the ones most of us take for granted like the soft skills of listening and using language properly.

One thing became fairly obvious to me. Like learning to ride a bike, you couldn’t learn these skills at a seminar. No, you can’t even learn them from a book. Sure, I wrote the book, but you can’t imagine how many people would call me to ask questions about learning the skills I write about in the book.

I think the book became a success because it was the only book written for the profession on the importance of the examination process… but it still left a void.

The Academy of Dental Leadership is an organization I founded in early 2005 to fill needs of dentists who were reading and responding to my newsletter that was formerly called “Private Practice” and is now titled “Dental Life.”

The Academy provides one-on-one and group coaching, teleconferencing, teleseminars and mastermind groups for the dentist (practice leader). Through these opportunities, you can create the practice of your dreams by learning cutting-edge leadership skills guaranteed to transform your practice culture.

During a recent Academy of Dental Leadership Dental Mastermind meeting, one of the participants expressed a desire to learn two things that would put him on the cutting edge of the profession. He said he wanted to be a better leader and he wanted to take his exam process to the next level.

Right then I had a BGO (blinding glimpse of the obvious). I told him that I could think of no better way to teach leadership in dentistry than to put it into the context of the examination process. Our Mastermind is becoming a mini-leadership course. Participants can take Mastermind in any direction they like.

Coincidentally, at the time, I had hired a personal coach. When I put everything together, I came to realize that the very best way to learn leadership principles, the examination process, and the new mindset, toolset and skill set that I write about is through coaching. That is why I created the Academy of Dental Leadership.

The Academy of Dental Leadership provides dentists with the ways and means to create more successful practices and fulfilling lives through various resources. The book The Art of the Examination was just the beginning. Our official newsletter, Dental Life is slowly becoming one of the most read newsletters in the profession. Our Dental Mastermind groups are steadily being filled with some of dentistry’s best people, who understand that their success is based on more than just learning technical dentistry. But the real impetus to form the Academy is to help dentists and their staffs to do what I couldn’t do…that is to learn the skills necessary to get their lives and practices to the next level through coaching.

Our flagship program is the One Year Art of the Examination Coaching Program. This program brings out the best in the dentist by helping to get to the essence of success through coaching for both the technical and behavioral skills that Dr. Bond had to learn over thirty years.

The format is group coaching with classes limited to include 6 to 8 dentists. Only dentists are invited to participate. Staff members who are interested in learning specific skills are invited to attend the numerous Teleseminars that the Academy of Dental Leaderships has created.

The Teleseminars cover the core skills needed in a dental practice such as, Listening, Language, Questioning, Storytelling, Advising, Developing the Patient, and Creating the Vision.

All Classes are held over the telephone. The One Year Art of the Examination Coaching Program is conducted over the course of one year through 90 minute Teleclasses. Classes meet 2 to 3 times per month with some flexibility for vacations and holidays. Here are some of the benefits of coaching:

• Faster success. If you want to be trained quickly in the Art of the Examination this program has all the tools and resources needed.

• A flattened learning curve. With these materials, classes and resources, you'll avoid most of the potholes toward success as a successful top 10% dentist.

• Consistent structure. When you are working with others, and on a training track, you keep focused. You’re plugged in to the future.

• Pricing. I have spent untold amounts of money learning these skills. I have purposely kept the tuition very affordable for most practices.

If you are interested in joining the Coaching Program – or just want to talk about it, call me toll-free at 866-428-4028. I’d really enjoy the opportunity for us “to bond.”