One-on-One An Interview with Dr. Paul Homoly Simply Beautiful A ...

eplacing old crowns on 7 through 10 and then no-prep veneers on 4, 5, 6 and 11, 12, 13. The fees on that are probably
going to be…we’ll say, $800 for the crown or $3,200 for four of those, plus $800 for each of the veneers. So the total case
is going to be $8,000, give or take some ancillary services.
PH: Okay, so we’ll call it a $8,000 fee. That’s the average guy. Now, let’s ask the same question to the above-average
dentist. Let’s look at a dentist who’s been to the institutes, who owns all the adjustable articulators, CEREC ® units,
belongs to a restorative study club or Seattle study club, has been in dentistry for a full 15-plus years and understands
occlusion, perio, and cosmetics really well. Maybe the dentist is a Fellow or Master in the AGD. What’s an
ideal case for a dentist like this?
MD: Well, this dentist is probably going to enjoy the challenge of a multi-disciplinary case. That’s going to require a couple
of implants here or there, certainly some cosmetic work around a few teeth, restorative work on some other teeth, probably
changing the bite to improve function. A couple of teeth may need to have some endo retreats. If you look at all the fees
combined, you’re probably in the neighborhood of $20,000 to $30,000 for a complete mouth.
PH: Okay, we’ll call it $25,000. So, we got the average fee for the average dentist’s ideal case, between $3,000 and
$8,000. We have the ideal case for the more advanced dentist at $25,000. Mike, what I’d like for you to do now is
look at that slide I sent you (Page 23).
The Crossover Zone is an illustration of the cultural behavior of dentists relative to talking about money. What this
chart shows is that in the culture of dentistry the higher the fee, the greater our discomfort is in discussing that fee.
For example, let’s say the fee is $1,000. You notice that line is in the comfort zone. The horizontal line that goes
through the center of the chart, parallel to the horizontal axis, is the dividing line between a dentist being comfortable
discussing the fee and the dentist being uncomfortable discussing the fee. This is not the patient reaction. This
is how the practitioner feels when he or she is discussing the fee. So at the $1,000 level, the dentist feels comfortable
talking about the fee. This is just an example now, Mike. So $1,000, you’re comfortable; $2,000, you’re comfortable;
$3,000, you’re comfortable; $4,000, your knees are beginning to shake a little bit; $5,000, you’re beginning to
breathe hard; and at $6,000, you are now in the zone of discomfort. You see how that works?
MD: At $10,000, you are visibly sweating.
PH: You’re visibly sweating and you show it in your body language. You’re breathing hard, you’re not making eye
contact with the patient.
MD: You’re trying to use a lot of dental technical terms and not really giving them answers to questions that they have.
PH: Exactly. Hiding behind your visual aids—all of that. Now, I showed the scale from $1,000 to $10,000; it could
be $1,000 to $50,000. This illustration is for diagrammatic purposes only. Now, I’d like for you to wear your average
general practitioner hat again, go back to that average dentist. Where do you cross over? That is, at what fee do you
go from comfortable to uncomfortable? As you’re quoting the fee—you’re the average dentist now, Mike—where
does it get uncomfortable? Where is the Crossover Zone?
MD: Probably right around $4,000.
PH: Okay. And put your hat on as far as the dentist whose ideal treatment plan would be $25,000. Where are you
crossing over? Where’s this AGD Master, graduate of the Pankey Institute, graduate of the Dawson Center, owner of
the articulators, CEREC units, lasers—where is this dentist crossing over?
MD: Well, he or she is still a dentist, albeit a very intelligent one. But intelligence isn’t the issue here. I’m going to say this
dentist gets uncomfortable at the same spot—$4,000.
PH: You’re exactly right.
Interview with Dr. Paul Homoly21