Running a successful dental practice involves skill, perseverance, and growth. Frank Roach DDS has been practicing dentistry in Atlanta for over 20 years and has amassed a volume of information that can help new dentists make their practices the best they can be.
A dental practice is much like any other business, with concerns like marketing, customer service, and training at the forefront. There are special considerations for a medical or dental office.
Dr. Frank Roach explains the 12 ways that you can make your dental practice successful.
1. Personal Branding
The first thing that you should consider when starting a dental practice is setting up your personal brand. This goes beyond a logo and into the inner workings of your practice. What are your values and skills? When you think carefully about all of your business’s strengths, you will be able to create a solid brand vision upon which to build your marketing campaign and your business as a whole.
2. Educate Yourself
If you have not just graduated from dental school, it is likely that you need to be educated on the newest materials and techniques. Taking training classes given by other dentists and medical institutions will teach you how to update your skills. You may have to invest money in new equipment, but you will find that this step increases your business’s efficiency while keeping patients happy.
3. Create a Welcoming Environment
Many patients are nervous about coming to the dentist. It makes sense to create a friendly, welcoming environment for your patients to enjoy. Make your office as homelike as possible, providing comfortable seating, guest Wi-Fi, and a selection of healthy beverages in your waiting room.
4. Look Closely at Patient Service
Your patients are the core of your business. If your patients are not happy, they will go elsewhere and will leave you poor reviews. These reviews can make or break a new dental practice, so it is crucial to keep patients satisfied. Investing in new equipment is a good way to start. Offering services like sedation dentistry is another helpful step.
Make sure that all of your office staff are well-trained and cordial in manner. An office staff that is frequently brusque and unfriendly can drive patients away.
5. Explain All Procedures
When you are working with a patient, you need to explain everything that you are doing. Patients need to know what is going on in their mouths, and they need to have solid answers when they have questions.
6. Offer Follow-Up Care
Make sure that your patients return frequently by offering discounts and referral bonuses. Not everyone has quality dental insurance, and patients will be encouraged to come back if they can save a little money.
7. Be Tactful with Billing
When you are sitting a new patient down to explain their treatment plan, be aware that there may be some sticker shock. Patients who are in financial difficulties may not be able to afford your treatment. Offer payment plans if possible, at no interest if you can afford to do so. Otherwise, there are programs like CareCredit that offer promotional financing to dental patients.
8. Enhance Your Management System
It is a good idea to have electronic dental records and to make sure that all of your office systems work together easily. Patients should be able to see their charts and to schedule new appointments with ease. When you are able to adjust your workflow, you will run more efficiently and be able to see more patients per day.
9. Optimize Your Website and Social Media
A dental office’s website should be attractive and useful. Patients appreciate the ability to make and schedule appointments through the website. They also like being able to see testimonials and before and after photos on the website.
Integrating your website with social media can be another helpful step. You will need to be careful with your reputation on social media and what kinds of ads you run. Social media can be an effective tool, but it can also turn into a trap if your customers are not happy.
10. Optimize Your Inventory
All dental practices carry an inventory of necessary supplies as well as office items. You will need to be as careful with your inventory as you would be if you were running a retail store. Keep close tabs on your inventory and institute systems for tracking and refilling it. Avoid wasting money on obsolete items.
11. Avoid Judgment
According to Frank Roach DDS, one of the most important aspects of running a dental practice is to keep your patients from feeling like you are judging them for the state of their dental health. Many patients will avoid the dentist if they feel that they will be harshly treated. Especially with new patients, it is highly important to treat them gently. As you get to know your patients better, you can be firmer about following home care and treatment plans.
12. Hire the Best
All of the above methods of making your dental practice succeed will get you nowhere if you do not have the best staff. Make sure that your staff are talented, compassionate, and well-educated.
Succeeding as a Dentist
These 12 steps may be able to help you shape your dental practice into a successful endeavor. Dr. Frank Roach from Atlanta encourages you to put a great deal of thought into these steps and how you can use them to improve your practice. When you set up your practice in a mindful fashion and work to meet your goals, you will build a loyal patient base and become an integral part of your community.
