From the arresting original artwork on the walls to the high-end equipment in every area of the practice, Dr. Alexander Heatrice makes sure his patients feel at ease and receive optimal care. When he built the Premier Institute of Oral and Facial Surgery, he was looking for more than someone to sell him equipment. Dr. Heatrice wanted a partner. Early conversations with Vince Sciore, Patterson CAD/CAM specialist, centered around finding ways to deliver the best patient experience possible.
“I think the practices that succeed the most are the ones that are willing to explore as a team. It takes some of the pressure off and we can do it together,” Vince says.
3D printing was the first major technology acquisition, and an easy decision. Providing provisional implants on the day of surgery is exactly the high-quality patient experience Dr. Heatrice wanted to deliver.
As a leading provider of arches in the St. Louis area, Premier Institute is literally sending patient after patient home with a smile. Dr. Heatrice explains that a lot of the patients he sees are dealing with embarrassment and insecurities related to the condition of their mouth – and the CAD/CAM workflow’s impact cannot be overstated. “We’re able to use technology, get those scans, get proper readings and diagnostic measurements.” Once this is sent to the designer and they create a template, “They leave with a new set of teeth.”
There are often tears. “They cry. They’re like, ‘This has changed my life!’ And what’s so great about that is it’s not even the final product. It’s just the beginning stages,” he shares. Being able to affect his patients this way fuels Dr. Heatrice’s passion for his profession, and he’s always interested in adding technologies his trusted Patterson team recommends.
“I feel like whatever Patterson has available that could help my practice succeed, I’m going to listen,” he says.
Of his successful practice, Dr. Heatrice says, “Sometimes when everybody is gone and the day is over, it gets emotional.This is something I’ve always dreamed of – and I’m living it.”
Learn more about Dr. Heatrice’s story, including what other technologies set his practice apart – and what it’s like to be married to a pediatric dentist who owns her own practice as well.
