Office Vist: TCA Cover Star Dr. Jerek Petrous by Arselia Gales

Orthodontists spend most of their working hours in their practices, so they usually don't get many opportunities to see what it's like inside another doctor's office. Orthotown's recurring Office Visit profile offers a chance for Townies to meet their peers, hear their stories and get a sense of their practice protocols.

In this issue, we introduce Dr. Jerek Petrous, a southeast Michigan native who was randomly selected from the Townies who completed a ballot in the 2017 Townie Choice Awards. In addition to appearing on the cover of this issue, Petrous also received a $1,000 prize from Orthotown.

What was the path you took to becoming an orthodontist?

Loving biology and working with people, I considered medicine and dentistry as career choices. After shadowing my family dentist and getting a job offer as a summer assistant, I was thrilled with the idea of being a cosmetic dentist. As a second-year dental student, however, I became convinced that orthodontics was for me because it combined my love for fine details, problem solving and treatment planning; the ability to mentor teenagers; and the fun, upbeat environment it seemed to entail.

Were there any challenges involved with purchasing a practice right out of school?

I bought my practice straight out of residency in the suburbs of Detroit, about 20 minutes north of the city. I was fortunate because the man I bought the office from was ethical and generous, and practiced with a high standard of care. It wasn't simply a business transaction; he is a mentor and a friend. The staff I inherited was absolutely outstanding, and a critical key to the success of the practice. The office, however, was straight out of the 1990s in every possible way: practice management software, systems, patient communication platform, technology, website and décor. The ceph machine was literally wall-mounted and from the 1960s, and we typed follow-up letters with one of our two stylish typewriters. This afforded me an open canvas to make gradual changes and create a practice that fit more in line with what I desired.

For the first eight months, I changed nothing and spent considerable time delicately earning the trust of the current referral base. In time, I did a complete rebrand, designed a new website, made some personnel changes, switched to topsOrtho, overhauled how we did financing, added a treatment coordinator position, and went digital.

How is the practice laid out? What's the workflow like?

We practice out of a somewhat cramped 1,700-square-foot space and take advantage of every single square foot. We have six clinic chairs, one records chair and a chair in the treatment coordinator's room. Our clinic chairs are in two rows of three, each facing opposite another with counter space separating the two rows. Our waiting room is small but cozy, and we encourage parents to join their kids in the treatment area if they like. My vision includes expanding to a larger, custom-designed office built for efficiency and aesthetics sometime in the next two to five years.

What helps set your practice apart from others?

When I started in 2013, 70 percent of our new patients were derived from GP referrals, and 30 percent from word-of-mouth and the internet. Today, those numbers have flipped. I attribute that to our focus on customer service and to increased online presence. Our team culture puts a heavy emphasis on being patient-centered, so our goal every single day is to give each patient an exceptional experience. This is more than just an abstract idea; it encompasses every single thing we do. Our welcoming front desk, our treatment mechanics, our financial flexibility, our new patient experience, our office hours and our insurance participation all center around this idea of creating an experience where patients are telling their friends and family about us. Are we perfect at this? Not even close. But this way of doing things is central to the DNA of our practice.

What can you not practice without?

This may sound cliché, but my team is absolutely top-notch. I would be nowhere without them. My team members have awesome attitudes and a great work ethic. They are also teachable and like to have fun. It is a pleasure leading and working alongside them every day. They make coming to work fun and make our growth possible.

What is something you do vastly different from when you first began practicing?

Straight out of residency, I was a bit intimidated by Invisalign—I knew very little about it and thought it was out of my comfort zone. I decided to go all-in watching every webinar, going to nearly every CE course and talking cases through with some of my more experienced colleagues. Fast-forward five years, and I'm comfortable recommending Invisalign to almost everybody who walks through my door. I am grateful I did that research, because it has changed the way I practice. Next, my style of leadership has changed dramatically, almost completely because of the influence of my incredible wife. Through her, I've found that by investing personally into the lives of my staff, compensating generously, and by lovingly expecting a high level of performance, the results are exponential.

What's the biggest challenge facing the orthodontic profession?

In my opinion, the two biggest challenges facing our profession are student loans and commoditization. Increased competition, a rising number of new graduates every year, and an increased student loan burden mean that there are fewer opportunities for buyouts and startups, a greater market share of corporate dental offices, and GPs attempting to keep more ortho in-house.

The commoditization problem revolves around the idea of orthodontics as a product you get at places such as SmileDirectClub, as opposed to a service provided by a trained doctor. When taken as a whole, these issues can be daunting. The key, I think, is not to wait it out and hope for the best, but to be proactive.

What advice would you give a new doctor entering the field and starting a practice?

First, find a mentor—or several. I can't stress enough how important this is. So often, the temptation in our Type A mentality field is to make it on our own. But why make all the mistakes when you don't have to? Generally, when we approach our seasoned colleagues, or even people completely outside of the field, they'll often be more than willing to offer wisdom.

Second, be a sponge: Every single person we come in contact with—and I mean everybody!—can teach us something.

Always be willing to ask good questions and make it a priority to read great books. If you haven't already, drop what you're doing and buy Raving Fans by Ken Blanchard and Good to Great by Jim Collins, for starters. Subscribe to McGill Hill, Collier and Associates, and Bentson Copple newsletters; they'll pay for themselves in a matter of weeks. And, of course, be an active Townie!

Most importantly, maintain a humble, teachable attitude and watch where it takes you.

Describe the most successful or rewarding experience in your professional life.

One of my favorite aspects of practicing is relating to and getting to know people who are very different from me. Being so close to Detroit, our practice sees a diverse patient population represented by a large variety of races, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic levels. At least 15 to 20 percent of my practice are Middle Eastern, Arabic speakers, a good portion of whom are immigrants. Madison Heights is also the epicenter for Michigan's Vietnamese community. We see quite a few first-generation Eastern European families as well, and I especially look forward to conversing with my Spanish-speaking patients. Getting to know these families, hearing their stories and spending time watching their kids grow up is something special and makes going to work a pleasure.

Tell us a bit about your life outside of the practice.

The work-life balance that comes with being a small business owner orthodontist is unmatched. I love working, but I really really love my days out of the office. My wife is my best friend, and we enjoy exploring Detroit's restaurants and bar scene. (We are hardcore foodies!) We're also obsessed with traveling and experiencing culture, and have been all over the world (I speak Spanish and am learning Arabic.) Also, my faith in Jesus is paramount to my life and I love serving with my church family. I am enrolled in a master's program in Christian Apologetics through Biola University. Lastly, you can find me CrossFit training and of course cheering on my Detroit Lions. (Haters can stay away.)