Although Dr. Christine Ciullo and Dr. Rama Yako both earned their dental degrees from Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, they were several years apart and did not know one another while attending. As good fortune would have it, each relocated to Chicago following graduation, and they met while working for the same dental practice.
“It was then that we realized we had gone to the same school, and knew a lot of the same people,” explained Dr. Ciullo. “Working together over time we both knew our goals aligned in terms of how we practice dentistry, as well as wanting to become owners of a practice.” A year ago they began conversations with the owner to buy out the practice, and became co-owners of Vivid Smiles Chicago in September 2022.
Differentiation in a Highly-Competitive Market
Doctors Yako and Ciullo knew they would be competing with a great many other practices in the crowded Chicago marketplace –four other offices in their same block alone. From the very beginning, they identified several key aspects to differentiate themselves:
- Transparency
- Education
- Communication
- Top-quality dental care provided efficiently
“We’re really big on not just presenting a treatment plan, and telling the patient ‘this is what you need, now let’s get you scheduled,” said Dr. Yako. “We don’t just take photos, we show patients the x-rays, explain the process, and try to educate them so they’re aware of why they need to get something done. That also fosters a lot of trust by our patients, who are all educated young professionals. They ask questions not to question our authority, but because they want to know and understand why we’re doing what we’re doing.”
“It is also important to us that patients understand that the mouth has a huge effect on overall health and wellness, so we educate patients in that direction,” added Dr. Ciullo. “For example, if a patient has diabetes, we tell them some things that correlate back to their oral health that can either help or hurt that disease, and why that’s so important.”
Moreover, the entire team at Vivid Smiles agrees “there is a kind of lost art to health care; that one-on-one attention to patients, and really knowing them.” Dr. Ciullo recounted her experience with a relative’s medical health care recently, and noted how impersonal the physician’s care seemed. She appreciates that “dentistry hasn’t gone that way yet. We can be big proponents of continuing to have really good relationships with patients, and that open wavelength of communication so they know we care.”
Dr. Yako concurred, “While working at a DSO, I realized you really don’t have a lot of time with your patients. I can understand why, from a patient’s perspective, they would feel like just another number. I don’t like treating patients that way, as much as they don’t like being treated that way. Having the time to build rapport is huge to us and to our patients.”
Top Practices Plan and Execute
Deciding what will differentiate a practice, and then effectively executing those elements are both essential requirements of success. Doctors Yako and Ciullo identified those factors that are lacking in the dental field overall, or not particularly strong suits of other practices. “It’s finding those little things and nuances, putting them into our practice, and really honing in on those things,” explained Dr. Ciullo. “As dentists we sometimes forget what patients know and what they don’t know; what they want to hear and be educated on; what they want to talk about, such as the overall effects of what we’re recommending.”
“We really listen to our patients and get their input and collaborate together. We’re not just treating disease, we take into account aesthetics and patient preferences as well. We keep those things at the forefront of our practice.” – Dr. Christine Ciullo
Being a Top Practice also requires a good staff to handle the day-to-day activities. As do many new practice owners, they struggled in the beginning with the difficult task of recruiting and hiring all the right people. But said Dr. Yako, “We’re finally at a place where we’re so happy with the people that we work with. It’s not just an employee-employer type of relationship; everybody gets along really well, and everybody’s doing what they need to be doing. I think that is a big part of being a successful Top Practice.”
In addition to a good staff, a Top Practice is defined by seamless, efficient operations. Dr. Ciullo admitted, “In dental school we aren’t trained very well in how to run and manage a practice; there’s a lot of learning-as-you-go and figuring out how to integrate clinical and business aspects. In the very beginning, we had to choose what things we could focus our energy on, in addition to providing care.”
“When we learned of eAssist, it was a great solution to insurance, and took one very major component of running a practice off our laps and into very capable hands. Partnering with eAssist has made operations smoother and easier, especially while we were struggling to properly staff the practice. It’s been wonderful to have eAssist, and not have to worry about that aspect of the business.”
“A very tedious aspect of practice ownership is insurance collections and follow-up. It takes a lot of manpower and time. We would rather [our front desk staff] focus their efforts on scheduling, bringing patients into the office, and all the other patient experience aspects, while eAssist can take care of what they need to take care of. It’s a great balance we’ve achieved.” – Dr. Rama Yako
Advice to New Dental School Graduates
Both Dr. Yako and Dr. Ciullo are in complete agreement that, especially nowadays, dental school graduates become overly fixated on their level of debt when they first come out of school. That causes intense focus on the money-making aspect of dentistry.
“I would advise a new graduate to take a step back and not focus so much on the money. Rather, try to find an office to work in where you don’t have to compromise your ethics or your values, and where you can find the mentorship that will allow you to ultimately reach your goals,” said Dr. Yako.
They concur there are more important things than money, and believe the money will eventually come. They strongly encourage graduates to be patient about the money, and to focus on building skills and ethics, and working in an environment where they can foster relationships and build rapport with patients.
“When you’re working in a high-volume environment, you don’t have the time to develop those social skills that you develop with patients. If you do that for a couple years and then switch over to a private practice model, the disconnect is very obvious and patients can feel it.”
“Remember why you went into the field to begin with; most of us did this to help care for others and provide health care and wellness. Keep that in the forefront of your mind and don’t let the other things cloud your judgment when pursuing a certain job.” – Dr. Christine Cirullo
