The Seven Habits of Health Oriented People
During our examination and planning process we ask you to think and feel what is most important to you regarding your dental and physical health. We want to help you design preventive and corrective treatment that is consistent with your needs, wants, values and goals.

Being Proactive means taking action consistent with your beliefs, values and goals. Since 90% of all dental disease is preventable, once you know the causes of decay and gum disease, you will be able to take much more PROACTIVE actions to prevent future disease and problems with your oral health.

Habit Number 2: Begin with the End in Mind - Make a PLAN

In 30 years of practicing dentistry, I have noted that the majority of new patients coming into my practice have no plan at all. This is really a sad thing. The vast majority of people who come to me do not don’t know much about their existing state of dental health and less than 1% have ever created long-term goals for their dental future.

Begin with the End in Mind means just what it states. By first setting reasonable objectives of exactly what you want and expect from me as your dentist, then we can reasonably make a plan for your future rather than simply being an accident.

Habit Number 3: Prioritize - Organize to Achieve Goals

Once we know your objectives and have created preventive and corrective goals together, then all of our time spent together will be organized and prioritized according to your goals and objectives. You will find that with this approach, there is little or no wasted time. All appointments are planned and our time together is far more effective.

In my years of practice, using this approach has put my patients in control of their own dental health future. By knowing what you want, I am in a much better position to help you get there. This enables you to be far more in control of your dental health and future than you might now realize.

Every procedure in our office is designed with you. If we can’t both walk away from our relationship feeling good about the time, effort, and energy we have put into it, then one of us has lost, and then it’s no fun, and a waste of our time and money.

Working to create worthwhile goals together, the entire process becomes meaningful and important. These are not idle words. I take my dentistry and what it represents to you very seriously. If either of us doesn’t believe we can create a WIN-WIN relationship, I will opt for a second choice, and this is no deal. I suggest you approach our relationship in the same manner.

Our practice is oriented to produce the results you want. We have to determine exactly what you do want and that will guide our time together as we achieve the best results we can.

Habit Number 5: Seek to Understand, then to be Understood

If I truly believe this principle, then I must really listen to you with no pre-judgment. I must be open to you and care about your point of view. I cannot and will not try to manipulate you. I cannot and will not care more for your teeth and your oral and general health than you do.

But since I believe each individual person has Infinite Worth, I will always try to respect your point of view and attempt to design corrective treatment that will meet your goals and objectives.

What I have experienced is that it does take time to get to know people and it also takes time for patients to discover what they really, really want. I am willing to take that time, as I find in our present culture most patients and dentists are in too much of a hurry to start corrective treatment without a sound design and plan.

Habit Number 6: Synergize

The benefits of synergistic relationships are many. The majority of problems we have in life is in regard to getting along with other people. In spite of landing on the moon, people in our culture have still not learned to get along on a day-to-day basis. Lack of understanding, lack of trust, lack of appreciation for each other leads to tremendous stress and misunderstandings in relationships.

Still, like life, high levels of health and comprehensive dentistry is a process, not an event. We love our profession and our work and intend to enjoy our patients and the dentistry we provide.

We have found that when we have a reciprocal relationship of truth and concern for each other, our joint experience is better. We appreciate each other more. The quality of our time together is better, and the quality of the dentistry we produce in this environment is better. .

Habit Number 7: Sharpen the Saw

I have spent over 3200 hours in continuing education since graduation from UCSF Medical Center in 1974.

Today, each year I take over 50 hours of continuing education in my specialized field of Esthetics and Restorative Dentistry. I do it because I love dentistry and I enjoy being a Master Dentist.

Yes, Dr. Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People fits directly with a comprehensive restorative practice and it helps us articulate to you the essence of our practice philosophy in a way we can all understand. .