Anne: Hello everyone, it's Anne Duffy and welcome to Dental Entrepreneur, the Future of Dentistry's podcast. I'm so happy that you're with me today. I've got a very special new friend of mine, and before we get started, let me tell you a little bit about him. Dr. Louis Kaufman, D-D-S-F-A, G-D-M-B-A. Is a 1995 graduate of the University of Illinois College of Dentistry.
He blends clinical practice, education, and research to deliver personalized big picture Dental care honored as a fellow of the Academy of General Dentistry. He advances the profession through lectures, publications, and leadership. Rooted in a 70 year family legacy. His centered approach inspires practice growth nationwide.
His expertise including implants, cosmetic smile design, 3D imaging, and full mouth restoration, is beyond wonderful, fun fact. He can never get enough live music. Big fan of the Grateful Dead, and if he didn't, road bike. He says he would weigh at least a hundred pounds more, which I hardly can believe. But it's my pleasure to introduce you to Dr.
Louis Kaufman. Hello.
Louis: Hello, Anne. Thanks for having me on. I appreciate it.
Anne: Well, It's so lovely to see you over Zoom and having this time to, connect for our audience. I met you at Chicago Midwinter, there was like five people that said, you've gotta meet Louis Kaufman. I'm like, okay, well, here we are.
We just ran into each other. felt like it was meant to
Louis: be.
Anne: It meant to be. Meant to be. Oh my gosh. I wanna know, what first sparked your interest in dentistry?
Louis: great question.
I came from a family of, dentists. My dad was a practicing dentist and I had no interest at first of going into dentistry. I went down the business path. I was in the fast food industry. I graduated college, obviously, ba, MBA. And I didn't feel like my brains and my hands were really fulfilling what I was meant to do, as corny as that sounds.
so I gotta do something else. So I did some soul searching and I looked, oh, medical's gonna take me x amount of years. I'm gonna be a surgeon X amount of years. I longly really, really old, when I graduate, if I became a surgeon, I was like, well, dentistry was a good living for my dad. He helped people.
Got to use his hands, use his brain. So I talked to everybody, but him talked to all his friends, colleagues. They said, okay, yeah, great career. Here's your options. Going to private practice with your dad or go become a specialist. Don't start from scratch. That was a really big message. Don't start from scratch.
and I went and toured the University of Illinois College of Dentistry, to see what dental school was about and who the people were. And I was like, yeah, this looks like it could be a really good fit. And that got me going.
I mean, my earliest memories is like five years old or three years old. You know, going with dad to, uh, St. Bernard's Hospital where oral surgery was being done, immediate dentures were being delivered. I didn't know that's what he was there for. But, going to his office and, you know, the smells as a little kid and interactions with the patients and just the respect and how people are treated.
And, I was like, wow, you can really impact a person's life. This is kind of cool.
Anne: It's so interesting that you know kids, right? I mean, your dad's like, you know, it is here, it is in front of you this whole time. But no, you had to go into fast food, go into business, and then come back around and must make it more rich for you that you actually went outside of dentistry before you actually got inside of dentistry for your own career path.
Louis: you know, obviously I'm doing this 30 years, you know, since graduation, a lot longer 'cause my whole life. But for a parent to see a child do that, I mean, it was probably one of the happiest moments of his life.
was when I graduated from dental school.
second happiest is probably when I told him I, wanted to go to dental school.
I always say, you know, kids, young adults, they gotta kind of figure things out themselves. We can suggest, we can advise, give 'em ideas, but everybody's got their own passion and they gotta kind of figure that out for themselves.
Anne: Well I think that's the best way because otherwise, so often we hear from young adults. They went into a, career path. Mm-hmm. Because their parents said, you should go into this career path and kudos to your dad that he didn't put pressure on you or to speak of, but let you make that choice because so often, I mean, I hear this with, some of our due members, the dental entrepreneur, women, that they went into dentistry because their parents said they should go into dentistry, either go into medicine or you go into dentistry, and they really never had a choice in their own mind. And it's super neat that your dad let you make that choice.
and it is your choice. And now. That's the way you have gone forward. And I, you always have a smile when you talk about dentistry. I'm not saying one of the few people, but you radiate the fact that you really like your career choice. So how do you create balance as a dental practice owner?
Because we know that there's so many out there right now that are burnt out, but you found a way.
Louis: you know. I was one of those people who worked five, six days a week, like first couple years out. cause I was at the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and working for my dad.
And then I started cutting back to five days and then young family, young kids, and they started doing some searching. You need to start blocking time off in your life for personal balance. And it can't always be about dentistry. Mm-hmm. As. My kids got older. I really embraced blocking out more time.
So I would say probably about 14 years ago, I started blocking off the calendar. Like summertime, we take two or three weeks off. Jill and I, were able to, kids were, old enough and take a great trip, you know, Italy or Ireland and just you had to be intentional in your decisions.
And I. Try to do that every year. I always close the office last week of December, first week of January, around the holidays, make extra time. And you know, federal holidays we always take off. We always sometimes add an extra day. So that lets the team, not just you to relax and chill out. Uh, have an associate.
I've had that luxury for many years now. There's a lot afforded me to take time off. Allows her to take time off when she needs it. When I've had two associates, it's even better. But to create a balance in anything, we have to be conscious of it. Make an intentional thought process, and really carve out the time.
That's the only way it's gonna happen. this will be the first summer. we haven't gone away in a while. For the reasons we were talking about earlier which is, you know, exceptional and, and blessed for that. But have to make time for the exercise, the working out, the mental time, the reading, relaxation going outside, taking a walk.
believe physical activity is so important for our minds right now.
Anne: you know, that's so interesting because it is a choice that you can make if you own your practice even if you go in sometimes as an associate, I mean, you gotta grind it out the beginning, right?
I mean, all young people, I mean that are not that keen on that right now. but that's what all of us did. We worked really hard when we were young so that you can actually play a little bit more and be a little bit more mindful of your own time as you get older. But. I love the idea that there's a way to do it.
but you have to have that mindset, and you have to have the courage to know that you can take two weeks off of the summer and take off the holidays I mean, I look at it now, the older I'm getting, I'm like, well, I don't know how many holidays I have. I'm glad I did enjoy my holidays.
was lucky to work for a practice that actually closed down at Christmas, but as an individual. It takes courage to close the practice down, but the benefits are so great for everybody. 'cause you know, can work your whole life in what, for without having the joy of that.
And I think even looking forward to those two weeks that you take, you know, makes a difference in how you practice in April when you know that you've got something great coming up in July.
Louis: Yeah, some of the happiest dentists I see. Are the ones, even if it's four days, three days, they block off. or they do the Monday through Thursday, they take off the three days, but intentionally did that.
They carved out the time to do it. You mentioned grinding it out and that's where I came from. I mean, you know, whining was never an option growing up. you did it and know, you put your, Nose to the grindstone.
Anne: Yeah.
Louis: went after it. And they call it paying your dues early, made for more benefit later and.
I found there's no such thing as instant gratification. that's a fallacy. Another thing I think, you know, some young dentists maybe make the mistake is they start comparing themselves to their peers and what's going on. You can't do that. All you have control over is what you're doing.
Your office, your staff how you respond. I would respond to something is truly the only thing we have control over or how we went after it. sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But you just, keep getting up to the bat and swing.
Anne: And swing. But I also love what you said earlier, before you went into dentistry, you started to ask some dentists.
your circle, you know, as a kid growing up in the world of dentistry about how they worked, how they did it, what was success look like for them. And I think so often, you know, you get into this situation where you can't pull your head up long enough to even ask for help. And how is somebody else doing it?
I mean, if you're listening and you're a dental student and you're getting ready to graduate, listen, this is a great career and you can make the choice. To block off, like you were saying, you and your son were out today doing something together, and it's like, you can block off if you see that you've got Friday night football and your son's playing football, or your daughter's in a dance competition, or you can go to the teacher
Louis: Student conferences or Thank
Anne: you. That that's what you can do. And like my husband and I were talking about this the other night, thank God he decided to become an entrepreneur because he made the decision to be able to do those things.
With the kids. And then, you know, they, fortunately they do grow up and they finally do leave your home and they make their own life. But we would've missed a lot of that sort of thing, you know, with him being corporate. 'cause he was corporate for many, many years. 22 years, I think, before he started his own company.
But, I'm curious about what you think, what you see in the, landscape now of dentistry. The difference between private practice and the DSO. Arena out there.
Louis: when I look at private practice and the DSO space I think there's a place for both. I believe, you know, private practice, if you can go fee for service and stay that route, you really gotta create a concierge type experience.
Everybody talks about it, the wow factor, how you make people feel. they don't always know your clinical skills. Well, hopefully your clinical skills are really, really good. being in the place to go, that stands out because I think it's still, a great career groups, that I've been part of.
Not like small source for the last 10 years where you have like-minded collaborative private practice, dental network that's, preserving the profession, if you will. And making it work and getting a lot of great ideas. And I think, you know, the DSO route I think if it fills a need, you get a lot of young dentists who they, if they do go that route, they can get a lot of reps in.
if it's a really good DSO. Hopefully they're providing the continuing education, the mentoring. That's the big thing is the mentoring. I think we're lacking some mentoring out there with young dentists. I think, you know, if you're in private practice, you should have an associate, do your best to try to get one.
I know it's not easy. Sometimes the fees that are being asked for to pay that associate are very high. sometimes the associate has to say, okay. I gotta ramp up my abilities and then I can command that same revenue that the owner of the practice is generating for themselves.
I think that all comes the DSO light. I mean, what a great way if you wanna practice with a bunch of dentists And grow. But I think that you gotta have a mentor in place. I hear horror stories you know, a young dentist going into a DSO practice, they're the only dentist, they just graduated.
once, if you run into a really difficult situation, who do you call on? you know, you're gonna rely on AI to figure that out. No. You need somebody who's, you know, been in the trenches and, has done it, and you can bounce that opinion off of a commonality that see coming up is the education part you know, young dentists are going to dental school, they're graduating, they're not getting the reps that we did.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around that, trying to cram it more information. these things have to work. it's the only way you can hone those clinical skills is working on a patient. That is it. So I think we're doing a little bit of a disservice.
there's more, humans out there now than there were when I graduated dental school. So that means that there's more cases, I mean, we're not servicing enough people.
Anne: You know, there's so many things to unpack there. and also the DSOs versus the DPOs, were the, you know, the dentist owned.
I think there's a lot of different ways to get your skills up and a lot of different ways to, find your mentors. You gotta ask a lot of questions when you get started, and you have to, Set your goals in place before you say yes to certain opportunities. If you can do that, if you have the opportunity, sometimes you don't.
but it is, crazy when you graduate dental school now and you hear the stories of the experience they've had there and the experience they need to be proficient and reach that. Mark of perfection, which, you know, is not possible in everything you do, but it seems like that's what they're expected to do and that's a repetition and that's having somebody be able to, call on.
I hope that they will change that in Give the young docs that are graduating the opportunity to grow and learn from someone that's been there and done that. his experience is everything. It gets to be like, riding a bike, even though every day and every patient is different.
Louis: Mm-hmm.
Anne: But it takes a while to get to that point where you really know how to pedal.
Louis: have to learn how to have a conversation with a patient, how to relate to a patient, you know, and. Just talk to another human who is in the most frightening place in the world, which is a dental office.
It's a dental chair. Yeah. if anybody thinks anybody wants to be there and get a shot, you got another thing coming. Nobody does. So the more we can get to know 'em, make 'em more relaxed, the easier it is. that's another topic Yeah, it's another
Anne: day. Yeah.
Louis: But
Anne: are you coaching and all that sort of stuff, Louis, what exactly is your role right now?
Louis: So I'm clinical still seeing patients three to four days a week working with my associate on, you know, on different cases, helping each other out on different things. I'll ask her about something she'll ask me.
Anne: Isn't that great? Uh,
Louis: yeah, it is, it is. over the years I've done some coaching and consulting work.
I've obviously, the lecturing I've been doing now for Dash, going on 20 years, if asked me when I graduated dental school, if I'd be doing that, I would've said, no way. Your dad must be
Anne: just like, so proud. I just like, can you believe it? You know, I love it. I sure he's
Louis: looking down or, you know, from the side somewhere and saying, Hey, good job.
I'm sure he is. And. I'm trying to do more writing. I really wanna just, you know, keep delving into the writing sense. 'cause you, I have a lot of stories and things that I want to share and bring across and I'd love to coach more. I love working with young dentists and talking to them as long as they're receptive.
that's not a slight, I've had dentists come in as an associate and I've had to let 'em go because they just weren't receptive.
Anne: Yeah. They kept
Louis: telling me, well, this is this and this is this. And I was like you've only been outta school a couple years and Yeah, you got a lot of great information there.
But one of you done the reps too. Have you taken the continuing ed? I mean, I got thousands of hours of continuing education. I, did Dawson for two years. Don't, tell me how to figure out occlusion right now. I mean, that's some of the conversations you have to be teachable. Well, that's, you
Anne: coachable, teachable,
Louis: right?
Yeah.
Anne: and humility's a big deal. I mean, you be humble, you know, it's like, you don't know what you don't know. and there's nothing like experience when it comes to like all the cases that you've seen over the years. But, you know, we talk about CE and the pandemic, you know, everything's on Zoom and here we're doing a Zoom.
podcast here, but there's something about in-person CE that I know is near and dear to your heart and, and to mine too. I have a retreat coming up and there's nothing like belly to belly smelling, seeing, sensing somebody that's, right next to you. Talk a little bit about your, views on in-person ce.
Louis: I am a huge fan of in-person C. Some of the best knowledge, uh, has been shared. Just conversations.
with a colleague about a case or what you're doing in your office. Uh. Just having a chance, you know, if you're listening to a speaker, say maybe it's endodontics. Mm-hmm.
they're an endodontist or that's what they specialize. I mean, you can just pick up so much. And then if it's a hands-on course ce wow, what a better time to have that instructor, somebody who's doing a day in and day out all the time, you know, over your shoulder helping you, teaching you.
and bringing your team along, you know, say, when I was teaching, the back in the day, the Lumineers courses and the cosmetics, the docs that were successful, they brought their team with bring some of your team.
and they usually are the ones who performed better. When they did that the bonding that you're talking about, that face-to-face interaction, that connecting, I mean, that's huge. and anybody who does the in-person CE and really a believer in it, we have a lot of it going on in the industry right now.
Yeah. Which is great to see. It seems to be bouncing back after the pandemic. that's a huge benefit. I think what. Being at home, you're just kind of in your own little box, being at the office doing it. You're in your own little cave. Yeah. It's a way to reach some people, but take the time and get out.
Most areas have some local CE or it's close to you to get to,
Anne: It's not that hard to find there's something different about calling somebody that you know, through social media or even on a Zoom, somebody that you've had a conversation with eye to eye, and then that's the person you can pick up the phone.
And I think it feels right easy and, that's how you build relationships. and we know in dentistry. It's all about relationships. It's, you know, it's changing so rapidly. every day you gotta learn something else about it.
Obviously you're a learner, you've completed the Dawson, and then you're teaching and you've, done so much in your career.
Louis: last weekend, uh, I was at the A DA summit, uh, the Oral Health Symposium here in Chicago Friday, Saturday. It was probably one of the best two days of continuing education I've had in a long time.
Wow. Really with a high amount of focus on, the oral systemic, connection and really honing it in. And, a big theme people always think of dentists uh, a, like a tooth mechanic, if you will. That was a term that was used. need, really need to be thinking of ourselves as an oral healthcare physician.
Yeah.
Anne: you must have heard Hazel Glasper speaking, did you? Yes,
Louis: I did. Oh my gosh. Wow.
Anne: Yeah, she's our, wow,
Louis: she's fantastic. I mean, stories I'm sure my jaw was sitting there at like. at times, I mean, I'm proud, I was patting myself on the back that, you know, we do embrace this in my practice, we are big on oral systemic health big on periodontics you know, we call it soft tissue management, but it's, more than soft tissue management.
It's, you know, finding out about those bacterias that are causing all these diseases. it was so well done. But back to your point about the social media. I forgot who the gentleman was. I'm a really big face person, always have been. I said, I know you from social media. I said, I gotta meet you in person and you know, talk conversation.
It was great. It was wonderful.
Anne: Yeah. you know, you just crave that so you can't get it all on your own. We need each other in this profession.
And, I'm so happy to hear you say that that is important and I hope that, if you're a female and you're looking to find your community, we're having our dental entrepreneur woman. Retreat in November in Charlotte, 250 amazing women. Hazel's always there. I mean, Dr. Glasper she's on my board.
She's been to every single retreat that we've had, dear friend of mine. And. nothing like meeting. We always say good dues. Find good dues. But
I know there's so many entrepreneurs that are listening to us right now, young dentists that are graduating, and those that are maybe middle of the career or, you know, coming up to the end. What advice would you give now? let's just say to the young graduate, what advice would you give to the young graduate that's looking for having this amazing career?
And I can see the glint in your eye that you still love it.
Louis: I do still love it. dentistry offers people so many options, so many ways to handle life, your schedule blocking times off making a really good living, working hard for it. So the young dentist. Find out what you're passionate about in dentistry.
What do you really like? And if you like everything, you know, break it down to a couple items that you really wanna learn more about. cosmetics are sexy and everybody wants to do 'em. Uh, but not every patient coming in is gonna want sexy cosmetics. True. Know if it's endo you like, go take endo courses.
Go learn that oral surgery. Become
Anne: an expert, right? Become an expert.
Louis: Become an expert in that, and get really good at it. once, check that off. You're doing that really good. Okay? what's the next item, that you really wanna pursue? But, you gotta write it down. What do I wanna accomplish in this next five years?
What do I wanna accomplish? After that do I wanna be a practice owner? do I just wanna be an associate? What do I wanna get out of this career? Where do I wanna practice? What kinda life do I wanna create for myself? I'm a big believer in vision boarding. should be updated.
You know, either you do it yearly or every couple years. you gotta write things down and create it because. Chances are it's gonna come to fruition if you do that. Uh, and if you don't, it might
Anne: pass you by.
Louis: I'll pass you by. you find yourself on a wheel just spinning and spinning and spinning.
Always try to improve your skillset. And really importantly is make sure you make time to take care of you and your family. Yeah. Because, nobody knows how long we're here for, but life is beautiful. Life is great. Go and, you know, make sure you have fun.
Enjoy it. you got into dental school, you're smart, you're bright, you're intelligent. Human being. Learn the skills. become empathetic and, and, be humble. just 'cause we're doctors, you know? So we have doctor, control your ego? people will love you even better.
Your patients will even appreciate you more. that's one of the things I would say.
Anne: I love this podcast so much, Louis, because it gives. Everyone is listening to this hope that this can happen for them. If you're listening for YouTube, for those of you that are listening, because it's a mindset thing, you might need some help.
You might need a coach. Be humble. And the other thing I loved about what you said earlier was, do the same for your team. Help your team grow. Help your team. Live a fulfilling life because work is such a big part of it. And, and it shows in everything we do if we don't enjoy what we're, working at during our days on this earth.
So Louis you've got some big things coming up here. you're gonna be off the market, ladies, if you're listening. Louis is can I share the beans on on them?
Louis: Absolutely.
Anne: he's getting married and that's so cool. you're such an amazing gentleman and, I know.
Got a great bride that, is just as special as you are. You've been just a joy here today. How do we get in touch with you?
Louis: Best way to get in touch with me is, Lou LO [email protected]. is the best way to, to reach me.
Anne: Okay. Well, we'll have that in the show notes
Louis: if it's something really, really important, somebody needs to talk to me, they can contact you, Anne, and you can give 'em my cell. How's that?
Anne: I would. Okay. I love that.
Louis: I go to sleep early. I'll say that you know, I try to be in bed 9 15, 9 30, the latest every night. I'm nine
Anne: 20. I'm nine 20. So we have a lot in common.
Louis: I'm up at five o'clock every day whether I'm working or not.
Anne: Wow.
Louis: Yeah.
Anne: you're available.
Okay. So you heard those times. Don't call him after nine. 30.
Louis: And you can find me in the car probably by, uh, 6 10, 6 15 in the morning.
Central time.
Anne: Central time. Alright guys, well, you're cool and I love getting to know you better. And I'm, again, I'm thrilled for you and your nuptials coming up.
you know, that's really cool. Thank. all of you that are listening, remember the most important thing is to keep doing you. So thank you so much, Louis. Have a great month, wonderful wedding, and I can't wait to see you on the road.
Louis: You're welcome. Likewise. I'll see you soon to talk to you soon.
Okay, .
Anne: Bye bye.
