Launching your own dentistry practice is a natural step after finishing dentistry school. However, there are currently over 200,0000 practices across the United States, which levels out to over 4,000 practices per state. As you can see, you’re going to be up against some stiff competition no matter where in the U.S. you decide to plant your practice.
As a dentist, the good news for you is that as long as people have teeth, they will need dentists to keep them healthy. As you’re well aware, dental health is an integral part of overall physical health, so with the right approach, your practice can become a stalwart in your community. Continue reading to learn what five things every dental practice needs to consider.
1. How will you attract customers/patients?
As mentioned in the introduction, the dental field is loaded with competition. The biggest problem facing every new practice is how to draw patients.
When you initially open your practice, the best way to draw new customers is with a promotional offer like free teeth cleanings on their first visit. Of course, this promotion means you’ll be giving up something for nothing—a lot of something for nothing if everything goes well—but what you’ll gain in return will be well worth it. Besides, you don’t have to run the promotion forever—merely long enough to build your client base.
2. The people you hire set the tone for your practice.
If you want your practice to not only grow but also flourish, you’ll learn quickly. You can’t do it alone. You need people to work in your front office, welcome patients, schedule appointments, and assist with minor procedures.
Any entrepreneur will tell you that the people you hire can either make or break your enterprise. You may be the head of the practice, but the people you hire often become the face of your organization. As the dentist, your face will likely be one of the last a patient sees when they enter your practice, so every face they see before yours needs to be a friendly one.
3. Offering luxury amenities is a great way to make patients feel more at home.
As you know, there are a lot of people who have phobias about going to the dentist. For some, the mere thought of a dentist’s office conjures thoughts of hammering, drilling, and pulling—all things you’d expect at a construction site, by the way.
However, the more like “home” you make your waiting area feel, the more comfortable you’ll make your patients. For instance, if you have a small waiting area, you should consider going with an actual living room set instead of waiting room furniture.
It doesn’t take much to add warmth to a waiting area. Some quiet and educational activities for children, reading materials, real furniture, and a Labrador water cooler go a long way. Labrador has been delivering the top bottled water brands for decades, and it’s quality your clients will recognize and appreciate.
4. Use social media wisely.
The moment you became a dentist and opened your own practice, your social media presence became a subject of public interest. You would do good to only share content related to your practice and important events or moments in your life and keep your opinions.
We indeed have freedom of speech in the U.S., and clients also have the right to dissociate themselves from you based on your speech. In short, the only thing someone should be able to glean about you from your social media profile is that you’re a successful dentist who loves your friends and family.
