How to form positive habits in your orthodontic daily routine

00:00:00: Hello, I'm Dr.

00:00:00: Martin Baxman.

00:00:01: today we're going to dive into what I believe is one of the most powerful levers We have for practice growth building positive habits.

00:00:07: i'm going To show you how to engineer new behavior so effectively that your entire Practice from The clinic to the front desk can start to run on autopilot.

00:00:14: this Is about driving excellence but with less Of your direct effort?

00:00:17: So let's get started.

00:00:19: You know whenever we try to introduce a lasting change in our practices It's tough and the main reason it's tough is almost always because we're fighting against some long-standing habit.

00:00:29: It's about intentionally creating new automated routines that become second nature.

00:00:33: When you harness that power, That is when you unlock real professional and business growth.

00:00:38: We see this every single day don't we?

00:00:39: Think how much time and energy spend helping our patients overcome deeply ingrained habits Things like thumb sucking or tongue thrusting.

00:00:46: Well the same powerful resistance Is exactly why leaders need to understand the mechanics of habits Because if they can understand them They build their own positive clinical routine that becomes just as automatic Just As Powerful.

00:00:58: So how do we do it?

00:01:00: Well, every lasting habit is built on a very simple three-step loop.

00:01:03: It starts with the Q. that's the trigger that tells your brain to switch into automatic mode.

00:01:07: then comes the routine which is the action itself.

00:01:09: and finally And this key there's a reward.

00:01:12: The reward is what signals to your brain hey That was good.

00:01:14: Let's remember this loop for next time This simple framework.

00:01:17: This is the blueprint for engineering any new behavior.

00:01:20: All right let's take this out of the world of theory and see What it looks like in our day today.

00:01:23: clinical work A perfect example of this loop in action is something I call the five second model analysis.

00:01:29: It's a foundational diagnostic habit that many of us develop, The whole process kicks off with a simple unmistakable cue.

00:01:35: for anyone trained in This method?

00:01:37: The moment you see a dental model or the moment You look directly into a patient's mouth That's the trigger.

00:01:41: it's an instant signal to your brain To fire up the routine.

00:01:44: and what happens next Is the routine becomes completely automatic.

00:01:47: you don't even have to think about it.

00:01:48: Your brain just does it instantly calculates And gives you assessment Of the crowding And this happens in fractions of a second.

00:01:55: That right there is the power of deeply ingrained professional habit, and here's the payoff –the reward– you get immediate clarity almost instantly if an extraction is likely on table long before even done full work.

00:02:07: This internal habit doesn't replace our documentation but it enhances.

00:02:11: it gives us incredible speed & confidence.

00:02:13: from that initial consultation We can build with more comprehensive system.

00:02:18: by applying exact same logic we develop what I call the Baxman keys.

00:02:22: This is another habit loop, but it's designed for a rapid more holistic clinical assessment.

00:02:27: So once again the cue is just seeing the patient.

00:02:30: But the routine is now.

00:02:31: a quick mental checklist of three specific points The canine relationship-the molar interdigitation and midline.

00:02:37: Your brain just instinctively asks are the Canines class one or the molar stable?

00:02:41: Is that midline correct?

00:02:43: in Just a few seconds this mental checklist gives you a grasp of the entire clinical situation And helps you identify your main strategic challenges.

00:02:51: It's psychological.

00:02:53: Its that little burst of satisfaction, the endorphin rush you get from feeling efficient fast and completely in control of a situation.

00:03:00: That positive feedback reinforces the loop making your brain want to do it again-and-again until its just what you do.

00:03:05: Ok.

00:03:05: so this idea of automated loops isn't for individual clinical actions.

00:03:09: The real power comes when we start to scale up these microactions to macro strategies that cover entire practice.

00:03:17: The technique is called chunking.

00:03:19: Really, it's just the process of creating automatic if-then connections in your mind.

00:03:23: You're linking standard recurring problems to predefined standards strategies.

00:03:26: Why?

00:03:27: To automate your decision making and conserve your finite mental energy for things that truly needed.

00:03:32: Let me give you a clear example.

00:03:33: let say you create rule.

00:03:35: If there is less than five millimeters of crowding then The Standard Strategy Is Non Extraction!

00:03:39: If There are more than seven Then the standard is extraction.

00:03:42: By chunking these common decisions we stop wasting our limited concentration on Problems That Have A Routine Solution.

00:03:47: This frees up focus For the Truly Unique complex cases that demand our full, undivided attention.

00:03:52: So let's broaden this out one more time.

00:03:54: beyond our clinical decisions we can use these same principles cues routines and rewards to engineer excellence into our administrative And are patient-facing systems as well.

00:04:03: Just think about the patients journey for a second.

00:04:05: when a patient completes a diagnostic appointment.

00:04:07: That's the cue.

00:04:08: they should automatically get scheduled for the treatment discussion?

00:04:10: That's routine.

00:04:11: We could automate our confirmations to include history forms and directions.

00:04:19: Every single one of these is a small habit loop that together creates a seamless, high-quality experience for the patient.

00:04:24: And what's the result?

00:04:25: all this?

00:04:25: When you build these systems your practice just starts to run with much higher degree quality but it requires significantly less manual effort from you and team.

00:04:34: This automation doesn't make more efficient.

00:04:36: It makes patients feel safe They feel informed and they feel exceptionally well cared.

00:04:40: right form their very first contact.

00:04:42: So I'll lead you in challenge.

00:04:44: Take hard look at your own practice both clinical and administrative workflows.

00:04:48: What is the one recurring task, that one decision point?

00:04:50: That you can turn into an automatic excellent habit.

00:04:53: Find it because The very first routine You choose to automate.

00:04:55: well thats your First real step toward building a practice that truly runs itself.