If you’re a general practice dentist, is it because you set out to serve a broad cross-section of patients? Or did you take that route because you thought it was the only avenue open to you? Regardless, you don’t have to continue doing mostly general dentistry if you don’t want to.
Sure, that sounds like crazy talk… but it’s not. There are two key aspects to having the kind of niche practice you want – cosmetic dentistry, implants, full-mouth restoration, or periodontal treatment, for instance.
The first aspect is to ensure that you have the clinical skills to provide those services effectively and in accordance with your state regulations. You can take care of that through continuing education, completion of post-doc training courses, and certifications.
The second is to attract the patients you want – not just what walks through the door. That’s arguably the more important of the two. You might have the best hands in dentistry, but you have to have the better patients who can and will pay largely out of pocket for your services if you’re going to have a successful niche practice.
Don’t Stay Trapped By Your Dental Marketing
General dentists overwhelmingly market low price, insurance acceptance, and discounts. The result is predictable – a stream of low-value dental patients looking for the minimum amount of dentistry with little out-of-pocket cost.
That keeps dentists working too hard for too long for too little.
However, you don’t have to keep running on the “deadly dental treadmill” of routine cases. By shifting part of your marketing focus now, you can attract more of the better patients who you can serve within your current skill set. That will allow you to make as much or more money as you do know, while working less. Freeing up your schedule will give you the bandwidth you need to complete the post-doc training and/or CE you need to become a niche service provider.
However, shifting a practice’s marketing focus is a big “lift” for most busy offices. It requires a revamping of the website, a greater concentration on establishing a strong and responsive social media presence, and much more. Above all, your marketing has to separate you from the great mass of dentists and give your better prospects reasons to choose you.
Get Started
Dr. James Kiehl of South Dakota found the solution to getting better dental patients. He said, “Some of the advertising I’ve done in the past was more offer-driven, free exam, X-ray kinds of things. When you bring patients in that way, you’re chasing them with the next offer or they’re chasing you for the next offer, all the way down the line. Since we’ve implemented our SmartBox Patient Attraction System, we’re definitely getting the quality patients that I want to see come into my practice.”
If getting results like Dr. Kiehl’s is something that you’d like to explore, you can do it with just a free, 25-minute phone call. And, you’ll receive your completely personalized, no-obligation Patient Attraction Roadmap
following the call. Do with it as you wish.
You can have the kind of dental practice you want, and SmartBox will help you get there.
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