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Instrumental Insights for Practice Growth and Success

Instrumental Insights for Practice Growth and Success
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Louis Kaufman, DDS, has been immersed in the world of dentistry for as long as he can remember. His father, Dr. Richard L. Kaufman, founded Hyde Park, Illinois-based Kaufman and Kaufman Smile Design Studio in 1950, which Dr. L. Kaufman proudly owns today.


Before determining that dentistry would be his ultimate career path, Dr. L. Kaufman graduated with a degree in marketing and later pursued a Master’s Degree in Computer Science. While his passion for dentistry and improving the lives of others through a healthy smile eventually won out, insight into marketing best practices and a keen awareness of technology have been instrumental to his practice’s growth and success.


What started as a one-chair office now has eight. Dr. L. Kaufman practices alongside an associate and periodontist and employs four dental assistants, three dental hygienists, a business manager and three front desk staff members. Today, his general family dentistry practice grosses millions each year and offers nearly every dental service/treatment.


“I personally focus on implant and cosmetic dentistry,” Dr. L. Kaufman shares. “But when I first started practicing dentistry 24 years ago, I was doing everything in the office with the exception of molar endo, including oral surgery, veneers and removables.”


Clinical Dentistry by Dr. Kaufman

Even before he started practicing alongside his dad in 1995, Dr. L. Kaufman was acquainted with some of his father’s most trusted business partners – and this small circle included DenMat.


“My father was a long-time DenMat customer, before I even starting practicing. [DenMat founder] Robert Ibsen, DDS, was way ahead of his time and did a ton of research,” Dr. L. Kaufman says. “I attended my first DenMat courses with Dr. Ibsen and David Oullett, DDS [a graduate of Georgetown University Dental School and an early advocate of and lecturer for DenMat] and learned invaluable information from them.


“What’s most fascinating to me is when patients come in with crowns I did 20 years ago, which were cemented onto DenMat’s core paste/core-build up, and when we remove the crowns the build-up material is still perfectly intact,” he shares. “DenMat products are top quality.”


Dr Kaufman and Patient

Today, Dr. L. Kaufman uses those top-notch DenMat materials, products and services to offer his patients a best-in-class experience. From offering advice on Lumineers® cases to delivering custom, high-quality veneers, DenMat has remained a partner for success at Kaufman and Kaufman Smile Design Studio, even after Dr. Richard L. Kaufman retired in 2008.


Part of DenMat’s appeal is its Smile Discovery Program® (SDP), of which Dr. L. Kaufman is a founding member. “I helped put together the marketing materials for the program, which gives dentists the tools they need to grow their esthetic dental practice,” he explains. SDP membership includes access to 24/7-customer support, course training, product discounts, and custom marketing materials. The latter has been worth the cost of membership alone to Dr. L. Kaufman.


“To do my own practice marketing would cost a bundle,” he admits. “The fact that DenMat provides customized marketing materials as part of SDP membership is a game changer. I’ve found this in-house marketing to be very impactful throughout the year. Plus, there are so many advantages, both at the yearly renewal period and on a monthly basis.”


LumiSmile® is another benefit of SDP, and gives practices the ability to take photos of every patient who walks into the office. That image is then sent to DenMat for a digital smile makeover, and the final image can be used to show patients just what their smile could look like – be it via cosmetic dentistry, crown and bridge dentistry, dentures, or orthodontic treatment. Best of all, the LumiSmile before and after can be done during a single appointment.


LumiSmile Mobile

The imagery provided by LumiSmile is more powerful than words. And Dr. L. Kaufman has seen cases in which patients held onto this LumiSmile image for years before deciding to commit to treatment. “I’ve had LumiSmile patients come back five to six years after their initial photograph was taken, saying they were now ready to make these improvements to their smiles; they hold onto these pictures,” he divulges.


Today’s patients are more aware of the availability of dental procedures and possibilities than those of the early 1990s, thanks to the Internet. This awareness, Dr. L. Kaufman says, is beneficial to the general practitioner because patients presenting to the office know exactly what they want. But for those patients who do not know, education is key: “The more you educate your patients, the more likely they are to accept treatment,” he shares.


Dr Kaufman Team

This loyalty to DenMat services and products, including the Sapphire® Plus Arc Curing Light, Flashlite Magna® 4.0 LED Curing Light, CorePaste® XP, Tenure® A/B, Gloss ‘N’ Seal®, Ultra-Bond® and LumiGrip®, has made Dr. L. Kaufman an expert of sorts on DenMat. And this familiarity led to the company asking him to lecture on its behalf.


“I got my start lecturing with Dr. Ibsen, who asked me to because I was doing a lot of cases with DenMat,” he explains. “This has led me down an unexpected path, in which I lecture to hundreds of thousands of people across the country. It’s opened up many doors for me and allowed me to meet many interesting people,” Dr. L. Kaufman admits. “But what’s great about these courses is the increased ability to help patients. The more you can help your patients, the more dentistry you’re going to do,” he says.


“DenMat’s given me the gift of providing higher levels of quality dentistry,” Dr. L. Kaufman concludes. “Thanks to superior communication through all stages of my cases to top-notch products and services, I’m able to focus on what I enjoy most: delivering quality dentistry that makes patients look and feel good about their smiles.”


Learn more about Dr. L. Kaufman’s practice at chicagodentistry.com.