https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RagPVYRK1w0
Dr. Cappy Sinclair Shares About the Power of Vision in Dentistry
The following podcast has been lightly edited for flow. To enjoy the audio conversation, you can watch on YouTube or listen to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, or Spotify.
Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsfYdt8jDBr6H-lmkSWfcjxdjG7znpfw/view?usp=share_link
Carrie Webber:
Welcome to the Jameson Files. I'm your host, Carrie Webber. Thanks for joining us for another episode. We are really excited to be joining you today from Grapevine, Texas at the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry's annual meeting. We're thrilled to be back at the AACD meeting. It's been some time and we’re so happy to be here with the Jameson team. I'm especially thrilled that we're spending some time today with our client, a great friend, Dr. Cappy Sinclair.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
Thank you.
Carrie Webber:
Dr. Sinclair, thank you so much for being with us.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
Glad to be here.
Carrie Webber:
Before we started this episode, we were reminiscing that Dr. Sinclair was the Jameson Files’ very first podcast guest when we launched the podcast in 2019.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
And I got invited back.
Carrie Webber:
I know. It was a success. So we'll see how you do this time. No pressure. I’m thrilled that you’re here. There are two episodes with Dr. Sinclair from very early on in the podcast, and I invite and encourage you to go find those episodes because I still feel like they're very powerful, and you shared some great information and insights in those episodes.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
I talk about that probably at least once a week to someone that reaches out and wants to know how I got to where I am and what was the most important thing that I did. I still feel like one of the most important things was setting up where I wanted my practice to be. Without that vision, I would not be where I am today.
Dr. Sinclair’s Beginnings with the AACD
Carrie Webber:
I love that. I love that. And speaking of establishing that vision of where you are, not only in how your practice runs, but in the clinical skills that you do, you have chosen to become deeply involved with the AACD and have been for several years now. Would you tell us a little bit about how you chose to be a part of this organization and a little bit of how you started within this, because now you are an accredited member? For those of you that aren't familiar with that process, boy, that is a feat. That's a lot of work and effort.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
Besides starting my practice, I would say that's probably the one thing that I've learned more about anything else in dentistry– making myself a better dentist, seeing what education I should take, where I direct my attention– all of those things were because of trying to become accredited. Now being on the other side, we're starting to mentor other people that are going through this process. Having the insight of going through it myself, I can give them experiences that I learned along the way that hopefully will help them out.
Carrie Webber:
I love that. I love the story of the beginning of your relationship with this organization. I think it's pretty special for young doctors that are just getting started and really trying to find their way. Will you share that with the audience?
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
This meeting's special in particular for me in Grapevine because this location was the first AACD meeting that I came to in 2010. I was actually working close by. I worked in Oklahoma City. I actually did not know you guys at that time, which is crazy.
Carrie Webber:
That's a strange connection.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
I worked for a group practice there and I just wasn't happy. And so long story short, I ended up quitting that job in May or April. And I knew this was going on in Dallas, so I tried to time my leaving that job with coming down to this meeting. So I think I left on Friday from Oklahoma City, packed up my stuff, and then drove down here to the Gaylord. The problem was I had just quit my job. I was in tons of credit card debt from traveling back and forth all over the country, and I didn't know what to do, so I couldn't stay at the Gaylord, which was probably $600 a night or something crazy, so I ended up camping. There's a campground actually a mile and a half away from here, so I ended up staying there for about four or five nights.
It was beautiful. There's a lake there. I got to watch the sunrise and the sunset every day. I would ride my bike every morning from the campground over here. I didn't know a soul, but the dentistry that I saw here changed my life. I knew that one day I wanted to do what these people are doing here. I think that drive and ambition really fueled me continuously over the years. So it was an experience I'll never forget. I drove the rest of the way across the country, back home, and then two years later ended up starting my practice with the vision of knowing that I wanted to be on the stage accredited someday.
Carrie Webber:
Wow! And where are you staying this year?
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
I'm actually staying in the hotel, which is great.
Choosing Resources that will Aid you in Your Dental Vision
Carrie Webber:
It's a true success story. I think that's so amazing and I love that this was one of those pivotal moments for you that really started to create the framework of your vision for how you practice. Something that I really appreciate about you is that as long as we've known you, you have truly and intentionally sought out resources and training–both clinically and for the business side of your practice. You’ve taken your vision and sought out the right resources for you. Because you're also very involved in other things, not just AACD. So would you share a little bit for those that are trying to find their resources, their training, their people or organizations? What do you go through when you’ve decided that this is what you’re going to explore at this time?
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
I think the hardest part for being a dentist, and especially if you're a solo practice owner, is there's only so much time for you to leave the office. And if you're going to be doing that, how do you make it count? If I leave the office, it's for a vacation– I love to travel– or I'm going to go to do some educational event.
For me, when I was trying to establish again where I wanted to go in my dentistry, I considered who are the clinical leaders in the world that are going to be the best dentists for me to learn from, and how do I get there? What's my path and how do I start at some of the more basic things and move forward? I think one of the biggest challenges is that with social media today, a younger dentist graduating is just barraged with clinical photos on Instagram of “before and afters”, but they don't see the journey that the dentist went through to get there.
A lot of people, unfortunately, want a really quick fix. What's the one course that I can go to to make the difference? And there's not one course. It's going to Kois; it's going to a functional occlusion, learning how the teeth work, how function masters and creates the proper aesthetics, business training courses... Once you do the dentistry, how do you sell the dentistry to your patients? How do you motivate your team to sell the dentistry to your patients? All of those courses, I think, compound into your education, and if you're just going to take a course on the weekend because you like the location, then is that really the best place to go? So just because it's a course on implants and you want to place implants, is that the best place for you to start or do you need to learn how to take teeth out first? So, if you're a dentist learning or wanting to expand your horizons, I would actually say figure out where the baseline is first. It might not be the sexiest place to start, but it's probably the best place from a foundational aspect, and then build from there.
Carrie Webber:
My father, John Jameson, had an identical mindset and mentality to yours. If he were here, he would say to doctors that are looking to expand the way they practice or even just the depth of their skills, that one of the greatest investments he made for himself was continuing his clinical training and education. He chose his people, his resources, his organizations to be a part of and never stopped as long as he was practicing until he retired. I don't know if this is good news or bad news for a younger dentist, but it's not over at graduation. It’s just starting, because at that point, there's a lot of work to be done for your own self and your own skillset, your own efficiency, your own level of success, whatever that is. So the vision is so important. Where do you see yourself in the foreseeable future? What do you want that to look like for you? I love your point of starting at the very beginning. Where am I right now with my skills or with my business or whatever? Where do I just need to start?
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
Yes. Mastering the basics is really important. Most great athletes practice the fundamentals before they become great. So again, it's the same process of just practice, practice, practice, but practice the basics and get good with that.
Carrie Webber:
Yes. A lot has happened since the last time we were sitting across from each other like this in 2019. You now have a business partner, Dr. Mark Reichley. You now have taken two locations between the two of you, and you have combined them into the most extraordinary facility.
Dr. Cappy Sinclair:
Yes. It's awesome.
Carrie Webber:
It's gorgeous. You both have continued to invest together in clinical training,
