Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Yana Pekarski. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Yana, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
Thank you Jess, it is my pleasure, and thank you for this opportunity to share my story!
Opening a new dental office is very expensive, and in most cases costs well into six figures. So, instead, I did a lot of bargain hunting. I found dental chairs on offer up, of all places! They were being sold in San Diego, so we drove 8 hours to pick them up. The 3D x-ray machine I purchased was also in So Cal. Because I was able to get it for a good deal, I am able to pass on the savings to my patients. I also purchased a used dental mill so that we can mill crowns and bridges in our office, thereby also saving on costs.
There were many decisions that needed to be made, and having the support of my family was key. We needed a website and used eSEOspace for our website design and development as well as SEO. We needed a dental office space and my brother found an affordable office on craigslist that was already built out as a dental office. It needed some “sweat equity” in the form of new flooring and a few other touch-ups, which we did as a family. A Craigslist ad for help moving some heavy equipment introduced us to a handyman who helped my husband when we were getting tired.
Planning a dental office on our own meant waking up in the morning and randomly remembering a dental instrument that needed to be ordered. It meant doing research on various patient management softwares, various digital dental X-ray sensors (which I purchased new), finding a 3D scanner for taking digital impressions, considering various implant planning software, and many other things that are usually done by a dental rep.
Opening a dental office is like buying a house. One can build or buy a brand new house if one has the finances for it or is willing to pay for years to come. Or, one can go the route of remodeling something that is imperfect and still making it beautiful.
I’ve always been the type to put in some sweat equity – it’s fun for me to plan a remodel, and it’s been fun to dream and build a comfortable dental office on an affordable budget, so that those who cannot afford to pay thousands for an implant can have a more affordable option to consider.
My advice for someone who is planning on starting their own business is to first figure out what makes you smile, and then surround yourself with those that help you to achieve that goal.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?
I worked at a community dental clinic for over 10 years, and after being laid off during the covid layoffs I realized how exhausted and burned out I really was. I finally took the time to think about what it was that I really wanted to “do,” and I decided to open my own dental practice.
There were things I really liked about dentistry – such as being able to treat patients the same regardless of their socioeconomic status, and there were things that I did not enjoy – such as knowing that a patient needed a certain dental treatment to save a tooth and they genuinely could not afford that treatment. I decided I wanted to be able to provide dentistry that was more affordable to those who cannot readily afford the typical prices, and I knew exactly the types of materials I wanted to use – the kind that are as biologically compatible as possible.
During my dental school interview in 2003, I was asked where I saw myself in ten years, and I told them I saw myself working with patients who don’t have a lot of money. That is precisely what I did shortly after receiving the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from UCLA and completing an Advanced Education in General Dentistry residency program on Maui.
Throughout the 10+ years I worked at the community clinic, some of my patients became my friends, and some of my friends from childhood drove two hours to come to their dental appointments. Other friends flew in from Texas when their child was told he needed sedation dentistry and their parents wanted to see if I could do their restorations without sedation. The appointments were very successful, as I love seeing children.
Our dental office focuses on two main aspects of dentistry: Biological (holistic) dentistry, and more-affordable implants.
When I found out that most tooth colored dental filling materials contain monomers which can break down into BPA, I searched for an alternative, and found Admira Fusion. Admira Fusion is a tooth colored restorative material that does not contain any of the typical monomers that can break down into BPA, so it is BPA free.
Furthermore, when I heard of the Focal Infection Theory I realized that there may be an issue with the tiny dead nerves that are left in the accessory canals of a root canal, so I stopped doing root canals. It is never my goal to tell patients what to do; instead, I try to educate each person with the information they need so that they can make an informed decision.
The second aspect of dentistry I focus on is more-affordable implants. Those who have the financing to have implants placed in specialty offices should continue to do that. It is not my goal to take business from others. I offer more-affordable implant options for those who would be unlikely to consider the more costly options.
Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?
The support of family or good friends who can help you when you get tired is very helpful for succeeding in opening any business; a team of those who love you and want you to succeed is a must. Also, simply doing your best, so that when you look back on the day, or the month, or the year, you can look back with a smile.
At the same time, there’s a saying “location, location, location.” These days, a physical office location is important, however an online presence is just as vital. A website with search engine optimization is necessary to reach patients who are searching for an office online.
Word of mouth advertising is also significant. I heard somewhere that if a person has a bad experience somewhere, the person is ten times more likely to talk about that bad experience than about a good experience.
The best way I know of succeeding in life is to treat others the way you want to be treated.
How do you keep your team’s morale high?
1- Joy comes from within. Hire people who exude joy and add positivity to your day. You don’t have to work very hard at keeping up the morale if you are surrounded by these types of people.
2- Most people leave their employers, not their jobs. If you have high turnover, perhaps it’s time to think about what you would do if you worked for yourself, and if the answer is “quit,” then you know where the problem lies.
3- There are about as many ideas about how to properly manage an office as there are people in the room. The most a team member should count on is for the manager to respectfully hear what the employee has to say and consider it. If an employee constantly has “expectations” that are not met, it can be a drain on the morale of the entire office.
4- Most people have an innate desire to do good for others. If your team can go home and feel good about what they did that day, they are likely a good team for you.
5- Different people feel appreciated in different ways. Figure out the “love language” of each team member and let each of them know they are appreciated in the “love language” that they understand.
Contact Info:
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Website: www.sacramentoholisticdentist.
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Phone: 916-507-2122