Movin' Teeth in Texas
by Chelsea Knorr, Associate Editor, Orthotown Magazine
They say everything's bigger in Texas, but
Dr. Clark Colville and his team at Orthodontic
Specialists of Seguin, P.A., in Seguin, Texas,
have worked to create a small-town feel in
the practice. Colville's staff, most of whom
have worked there for many years, are
familiar faces to returning patients and
their parents. Herein, Orthotown Magazine
talks shop with Dr. Colville about his practice,
his team and his life outside the office.
Dr. Colville, at what point did you
decide you wanted to be an
orthodontist?
Dr. Clark Colville: I went to dental school and began working
for an orthodontist who was starting a practice across the street
from the dental school. I made appliances and trimmed models for
four years and became acquainted with orthodontics from a different
perspective. The patients were happy and enjoyed their time in
the office. At the same time I got some great advice passed on to
me from my brother. He offered the following insight: provide a
service people want, instead of a service people need. The difference
is that people will gladly pay for a service they want, and
appreciate that service when you have done a good job.
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Name: Clark D. Colville, DDS, MS |
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Dental School Graduate From: University of Texas Health
Science Center, San Antonio, 1989 |
Orthodontic School: University of Texas Dental Branch
in
Houston, 1993 |
Practice Name: Orthodontic Specialists of Seguin, P.A. |
Practice Location: Seguin, Texas |
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Year Practice Opened: 1993 |
Staff: Eight |
Web site: www.drcolville4braces.com |
What is your practice philosophy?
Colville: Very simply stated, we want to provide orthodontic
treatment to the best of our ability, in a professional manner that
is efficient for both the patient and our practice.
Tell us a little about your practice - how is it laid out?
Colville: Our office is designed to be very open. We want
parents to participate in their children's orthodontic experience.
Parents are welcomed in the treatment area where we have made
space available for them to sit and watch. The positive benefit to
our practice is that this gives our staff a chance to develop relationships
with our patients and parents, and at the same time
keep them informed of what, and more importantly why, we do
what we do. For those parents who do not wish to be right alongside
their children, they can easily see into the treatment area
while they are sitting in the front area of the office. This open
concept lets the parents feel comfortable the minute they step
into our office.
What is the workflow like?
Colville: We schedule patients 3.5 days per week, usually
with an average of 50 patients per day. We have eight full-time
staff members. The front office consists of a scheduling coordinator,
financial coordinator and a treatment coordinator. We
have three full-time chairside technicians, a sterilization technician
and finally a records/lab technician. We have an in-house
lab, so we send out very few appliances to be made at a commercial
laboratory. This makes the turnaround time for retainers fast.
Describe your most successful or rewarding experience.
Colville: My most rewarding experience has been developing
a practice in a small community where patients and parents
remark at how nice the office, the staff and their orthodontic
experience have been. I take great pride in having a mature staff
that families have come to know over the years. It is quite common
for a mom to bring in a second or third child and remark
at how comfortable she feels because the minute she walks in the
door she sees the same familiar faces.
What makes your practice different than other orthodontic
offices? What do you do to set yourself apart?
Colville: The biggest thing that sets us apart from other
offices is that we focus on being efficient and being on time. Our
patients are not accustomed to waiting to be seen in our practice.
We don't have an "on deck" area, as we plan to see patients on
time. On top of that, we finish our treatment on time. We carefully
watch treatment progress to make sure we deliver the final
results within the scheduled treatment time. This happens primarily
due to a recall system that allows us to start patients at the
appropriate time, not too soon so that we are waiting for teeth to
erupt. We explain this concept at patients' first visit so they
understand how this benefits them by making fewer office visits
and finishing within the prescribed treatment time.
What is the competition like in your area of orthodontics
right now?
Colville: The biggest competition we have is competing for
the discretionary dollar. We have to be able to communicate
effectively that there are long-term benefits of having orthodontic
treatment. Parents are told of the psychological, health, and
social benefits of providing a healthy, great smile for their children
and themselves. As the economy has tightened, everyone
carefully weighs the benefits before making a big purchase. Orthodontic treatment is certainly something people want,
and our job is to communicate the value that it brings to
them for the rest of their lives.
Who is your primary clientele?
Colville: About 80 percent of our patients come from
the local community, but we serve a broad population
within a 25-mile radius of our office. There are a number of
small communities surrounding our town and many
patients travel up to 30 minutes to come to us. This is why
we place such an emphasis on running on time.
How has the economy affected your practice?
Colville: We have seen the number of initial
exams remain flat in our office for the past
three or four years. This challenges us to find
new strategies to bring new patients into our
office. Additionally, this makes it very important
that we convert a high percentage of our
exams into active patients.
How do you get the word out about
services to patients?
Colville: We have tried about everything
possible, from movie theater ads, to billboards,
to online social media ads. With all this, the most effective thing
we do is support the local schools extensively. I think we support
almost every team, group or program in some way or another.
One must give to receive, and the best way for us to give is to
support the community and the schools.
We recognize that most of our new patients come from existing
patients. As a result, we have implemented marketing plans
that reach out to our patients' families and friends. This consists
of using an integrated approach of social media, targeted e-mail
and in-office materials to reach our target audience. In addition,
we work hard to maintain our relationships with the general
dentists and their staff. They continue to be vital to our practice.
What is your favorite procedure and piece of equipment?
Colville: My favorite procedure is recontouring and reshaping
anterior teeth when the braces are removed. This last artistic
touch really makes the difference between a nice finish and a
great finish. As far as equipment, there is no question. I could
not practice without my magnifying loops. It is very simple; I
can't fix what I can't see.
What do you find in terms of technology that has the
biggest "wow" factor for you patients?
Colville: Our patients get a big kick out of the iOC intraoral
scanner we started using in January of this year. They are amazed to see their teeth
appear on the screen, and they
like not having to have PVS impressions made any longer for
their Invisalign treatment. Our latest technology addition is the
SorrisoOrtho app for our patients with smartphones. The app
has some cool features that enhance the orthodontic experience
for our patients. We use the app to communicate with our referring
dentists and the patients are impressed with features like the
Time Lapse Smile and the Treatment Countdown Timer. It's
pretty cool when we give our patients an app for their phones.
Who are some of your mentors?
Colville: I have had many mentors in the profession. Dr.
Fred Garrett and Dr. Bonham Magness are without a doubt two
of the finest men I have ever known. They have taught me to
respect the profession and to serve others by giving back to the
profession. Dr. Ron Gallerano has been a guiding force in my
clinical development from the first day I started my residency in
Houston. He is an outstanding clinician and teacher and pushes
me to continually strive to be the best I can be.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking
of entering orthodontics?
Colville: I think the best advice I would give them is to be
prepared to be a life-long student. The profession is changing in leaps and bounds and as a result it requires constant change in
the way we approach our practices, our patients and our staff. I
would also tell them to be prepared to be a leader, not only in
their practices, but in their communities as well.
What do you think is the biggest problem orthodontics
faces today?
Colville: Orthodontics' biggest challenge is to avoid falling
under the control of insurance and government regulation. I
would love to see orthodontic practices become less dependent
upon insurance for reimbursement and encourage the use of tax
incentive programs like flexible spending accounts. However, it
appears we are moving in the opposite direction. Just look at
medicine and you will see the exact opposite of how we want to
be in the future.
Looking ahead, what would you like to see orthodontics
do in terms of the way it operates as a profession
in the next five to 10 years?
Colville: I would like to see orthodontists work more collaboratively
with our dental colleagues to maintain the integrity of
the orthodontic specialty. The fact that many in the dental profession
see our job as easy, where we just line up the front teeth,
tells me we have done a poor job of letting our dental colleagues
know what we do. My gut feeling is that we will see a transformation
in the way orthodontists practice as a result of the new
graduates who are entering the profession with a tremendous
debt load. I recently asked a group of graduating residents if any
of the graduates in the past five years had started their own practices
right out of school; and the answer was uniformly, "No."
What this means is that the days of operating independent
"bungalow"-type practices is not going to work in the future. I
fully expect orthodontists will be practicing in different types of
group practices, either corporate or private, in the future.
What do you like to do when you are not working?
Colville: I like to fish and hunt when time allows, which is
not too often. I spend time with my wife of 22 years, Margie,
and our three children. We like waterskiing and wakeboarding
throughout the summer months.
Although it sounds like work, I enjoy teaching and lecturing.
The time away from my office allows me to get away from
the daily hustle. I enjoy meeting new people and talking with
colleagues about their experiences and their practices.
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