Episode #487: How to Be Different & Have Patients Beat the Door Down, with Dr. Tim Herre

Do what no one else does, and patients will flock to see you. And to help you find your X factor for your practice, Kirk Behrendt brings in Dr. Tim Herre, founder of the Breathe to Thrive Holistic Dental Center, to share his journey into holistic dentistry and advice for getting started. Self-discovery is your first and most important step! To learn more about finding your path and passion in dentistry, listen to Episode 487 of The Best Practices Show!

Episode Resources:

• Dr. Herre’s email: [email protected] 
• Dr. Herre’s website: https://holisticdentalkc.com/
• Dr. Herre’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/timherredds
• Dr. Herre’s social media: @drtimherre
• Holistic Dental’s social media: @holisticdentalkc
• Subscribe to the Best Practices Show Podcast
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Main Takeaways:

• Figure out who you are first.
• Decide how you want your practice to look.
• Find something you enjoy that no one else does.
• Listen to your patients’ goals, then tailor to their needs.
• Keep learning and improving yourself, your team, and your practice.

Quotes:

• “We know what we know today, and then tomorrow we do better.” (5:53—5:55)
• “You've got to figure out what's right for you, because I think I've gotten caught in the trap too. You listen to a lot of other people talk about their practice and, ‘I have 10 practices,’ or, ‘I'm doing X, Y, and Z.’ But what's right for you? Do you want something small? Something big? What procedures do you like to do? What do you want your clients to look like? So, I think it’s figuring out who you are first.” (11:58—12:22)
• “Everybody, all the time, is like, ‘I want an airway practice.’ But what does that truly mean? I think airway being a buzzword can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people. Even “holistic” can mean a lot of different things to a lot of people. But what does it mean to you, and how do you want to spin it?” (12:46—13:05)
• “Number one is, what do they want and what are their goals? What does the parent want for their child, versus project what we want on them? I think that's probably the biggest thing, is always ask them, ‘Well, what do you want?’ because then you can tailor what you're talking about to what their needs and goals are and give them choices based on that. Because it’s not always a one-size-fits-all. And so, I think first and foremost is listening to them and their story.” (15:29—15:56)
• “When you find the path that you want to take and you're passionate about it, it may take time, but things fall into place if you're always trying to figure things out.” (16:52—17:04)
• “That's been the biggest thing, is I found a procedure, or I found something that I enjoy that no one else does, so when all the other people in town, or therapists, or moms hear about it, that they have to come see [me].” (17:56—18:10)
• “When I rebranded to include “holistic” in my name, that brought in a whole other group of people. They come in because they want something different, but they're more open to listening to the message that you have. And they're more open to you sitting down and educating them, and your team educating, them on, ‘Hey, this is what I see,’ versus, ‘It’s broken. Fix it.’ They’ll be more proactive with their care and more receptive to, ‘Hey, I'm not in pain, but I see these things. Let's make a long-term game plan to help get me on track.’” (18:26—19:01)
• “When you're doing it for the right reasons, then it doesn't make it as time-consuming, always thinking about it and always tinkering with it. I think that's the biggest thing, is what are your values, what your goals are, what's in it for you, and then run with that. Because otherwise, it’s like what everybody says with a new job: if you don't enjoy it, it’s going to be a challenge.” (30:05—30:26)

Snippets:

• 0:00 Introduction.
• 1:50 Dr. Herre’s background.
• 5:59 His journey to holistic dentistry.
• 8:18 What his practice looks like.
• 11:24 Figure out who you are.
• 13:06 Holistic, defined.
• 14:58 Listen to your patients.
• 16:13 Self-marketing.
• 20:01 Challenges with the “holistic” rebranding.
• 21:47 The future of airway.
• 24:21 Other insights and advice.
• 26:15 What's next for Dr. Herre.
• 29:31 Last thoughts on being different.
• 30:29 How to get in touch with Dr. Herre.

Dr. Tim Herre Bio:

Dr. Tim founded the Breathe to Thrive Center after growing frustrated seeing the chronic disease that plagues so many Americans. As a holistic, biological dentist, he looks beyond the mouth and connects the dots between whole-body health. Far too often, chronic stress, inflammation, and a poorly functioning airway are the basis of many of our modern healthcare problems. For many Americans, our modern healthcare system is set up to monitor or manage a patient’s symptoms versus a holistic approach that aims to treat the root cause of disease. This holistic approach is what Dr. Tim wants for his own family, and it is the motivation behind him seeking out training and knowledge to help those seeking similar care sharing the whole- body health philosophy.

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