Dental Practice Hero: Gary Kadi
Founder and CEO of NextLevel Practice, Gary Kadi has devoted the last 25 years to empowering more than 6000 dental practices to become powerhouse producers that are truly free…debt-free, frustration-free, and time-free. In fact, the practices that Gary has worked with have generated over 1 billion dollars in combined collections, with no end in sight. With a mission to get 1 billion people healthier by 2030, Gary is devoted to helping dentists master the entrepreneurial side of their practices, so they can both better help their patients and reclaim their lives outside of the office.
Q: The practice of Complete Health Dentistry (CHD) is one of the reasons that NextLevel is identified as a Dental Practice Hero. What is CHD and how does it differ from traditional models of care?
A: The traditional model of care is reactionary—it waits until a patient is in pain or has other clear problems before taking action. Complete Health Dentistry flips the script entirely by promoting proactive care. But even more importantly, Complete Health Dentistry empowers dental professionals to educate patients about the oral-systemic connection. When patients understand that preventative oral care doesn’t just keep their mouth healthy, but also helps protect them against chronic disease, they become much more likely to accept cases and live healthier, happier lives.
Q: You advocate that offices implement a Healthy Mouth Baseline. What is this and how do offices use it?
A: The Healthy Mouth Baseline is a powerful tool to help everyone—dentists, hygienists, and patients—get on the same page about what an acceptable level of oral health looks like. It’s a checklist that hygienists and doctors can go through with the patient to clearly explain what a healthy mouth should look like and what the patient’s actual level of health is. With a clear comparison of expectations vs reality, as well as an explanation of the connections to whole-body health, we’ve found the baseline to be a perfect teaching tool and a huge contributor to increased case acceptance.
Q: How does Perio Protect complement Complete Health Dentistry and the Healthy Mouth Baseline?
A: Our clients have found great success pairing Perio Protect with the Healthy Mouth Baseline. They’ve found it perfectly aligns with the idea of proactive care—keeping healthy mouths healthy and returning diseased mouths back to health. For instance, a hygienist can clearly show a patient their level infection and explain how Perio Protect will help improve their gum health. Then, when the patient returns, they can compare their results again against that same marker and see clear proof that the treatments are beneficial.
Q: NextLevel Practice is known for its ability to focus on high-quality care yielding high profitability. What kinds of systems do you put in place to achieve these outcomes?
A: We start by helping our clients make ambitious but achievable goals, and then keep them accountable to those goals through thorough and rigorous tracking. When we pay attention to those numbers every day (instead of once or twice a year), it helps the doctor understand the financial pulse of the practice and to make adjustments right away when needed. We also believe that the dentist/owner shouldn’t carry the weight of the practice on their shoulders alone, so we help them build a team culture of ownership and unity so that the doctor is no longer the central hub that all the work must pass through—rather only a spoke in a fully functioning, autonomous wheel. A fantastic way to do this is through a performance-based bonus system that is built around what the team members actually want. We also help the doctor grow into the role of leader and CEO by helping them lead through agreement. With this style of leadership, the teams are unified, loyal, and committed to the success of the practice.