What is Smile Support Co.?

Smile Support Co. provides temporary dental coverage when your practice needs support — whether for a day, a week, or longer. Coverage is provided personally by Dr. Liz Willis, DDS, who practiced in Austin for nearly 25 years as a co-owner of Austin Lifetime Dental.

How does scheduling work?

You can request coverage directly through our website form. Once dates are confirmed, we’ll send you an agreement that outlines the scope, rate, and expectations for your coverage.

What is considered a “day” of coverage?

A standard day consists of 8 clinical hours, excluding lunch.

• Overtime: Hours worked beyond 8 are billed at the agreed-upon hourly rate.

• Partial days: Can be prorated if arranged in advance.

Do you handle billing or insurance?

No. Your office continues to handle all billing and insurance. Dr. Willis is not directly contracted with any dental insurance plans.

What about malpractice insurance?

Dr. Willis carries professional malpractice insurance that covers temporary and traveling locum assignments. Your practice remains responsible for facility and general liability insurance.

Who is responsible for remakes or redos?

Smile Support Co. is not responsible for remakes, redos, or adjustments after coverage ends. All treatment is fully documented to ensure continuity of care with your regular providers.

What if treatment can’t be finished in one visit?

Sometimes a temporary or interim restoration may be placed, with the understanding that the permanent treatment will be completed later by your regular provider. All documentation is clear and detailed to support follow-up care.

Will you follow up with patients?

Yes. Dr. Willis makes care calls to any patient who received an injection under her care. It’s a small touch that reassures patients and maintains your practice’s reputation for attentive care.

Are you available for on-call needs?

Yes. During agreed coverage dates, Dr. Willis is available for reasonable patient calls related to the care she provided.

Do you manage staff or HR issues while covering?

No. HR, payroll, and staffing are the responsibility of the practice. If you’d like Dr. Willis to act as the point person for staff management while the owner doctor is away, this must be arranged in advance and will include an additional fee.

What does the calculator include?

Our ROI calculator looks at your estimated daily production, collection percentage, supply/lab costs, overhead for the day, and my locum day rate. It gives you a quick guestimate of your net profit for staying open.

Is this financial advice?

Nope — this is just a simple tool to give you a ballpark idea. Every practice is different, and this calculator is meant to spark curiosity, not replace your accountant.

Why does the ROI default to a fee of $1,000/day?

That’s my standard daily coverage fee. But you can adjust it if you’re running numbers on a different agreement.

What if my practice runs with margins higher or lower than the defaults?

Easy — just change the inputs. The calculator is flexible, so you can play with different scenarios and see what makes sense for your office.

What’s “downstream revenue”?

That’s any future work (like crowns, implants, or treatment plans) that gets started because your office stayed open that day. You can add that in if you want to see the bigger picture, or leave it blank for a simple view.