As an orthodontist, you must be both a practitioner and business-minded. Ultimately, managing your business and learning how to grow your orthodontic practice falls on you. Even if you hire a business manager, the responsibility to grow your orthodontic practice lies with you because it affects you the greatest. There are ways to grow your orthodontic practice that will ensure you can focus on business less and more on patient care. Follow these tips for growing your practice. An important way to keep your clients is to create a beautiful and welcoming environment for them in your facility. Use these essential tips to create a gorgeous space your clients will love.
Establish Your Presence In Your Community
As an orthodontist, it is likely that many of your new patients come from referrals. Networking with a family dental care office is a good way to build a relationship that will result in more referrals. However, you still need to establish your practice in the community. Getting out of the office and making your presence known in the community will get the attention of potential patients that need orthodontic care.
Actively participate in community events to get to know community members and they can get to know you. Attend health fairs in the community, school functions, spearhead charity events, and get involved in sporting activities. Set up booths to share information at community events. You can create a positive impression. Offer free screenings to engage community members. Getting involved in the community and sharing your expertise will get potential patients interested in your practice.
Use social media to your advantage. Join community groups and share information about your practice. You can grow your orthodontic practice easily by letting people know you are available to manage their orthodontic needs and are a member of the community that cares.
Create a Brand Identity
Don’t just be Dr. Smith Orthodontics, be a brand that people remember. In today’s competitive dental care market, it is essential that you create a brand identity that stands out from the rest. Dental centers that can establish not just a name for themselves but a brand will do well. If you want to grow your orthodontic practice, you must establish your brand. A well-defined brand conveys the value that your practice has to offer.
To create a strong brand identity, start by defining your core values, mission, and what your practice brings to the table. What makes your orthodontic practice different from other practices? Identify the key values that drive your practice, such as personalized care, advanced technology, or a friendly and welcoming environment. These core values will form the foundation of your brand identity. Consider what it is that makes your care unique.
Tell your story. Why did you become an orthodontist? What motivates you to provide the best patient care? How did you get here? Why did you choose this community to serve? Share your story on your website, through social media, and in marketing materials. Creating a brand identity is like storytelling. Tell your story to grow your orthodontic practice and establish your brand.
Work With Insurance Providers
While it’s true some insurance providers are easier to work with than others, you should not limit your practice to only working with the easy providers. If you want to grow your orthodontic practice, you can do that by opening your practice to accepting more types of insurance. Local Medicare dentists do well because many dentists don’t accept Medicare. If you choose to work with more insurance providers, you will have an influx of new patients.
Accepting a variety of insurance providers allows orthodontic practices to serve a more extensive patient population. By accommodating different insurance plans, the practice becomes accessible to individuals with specific coverage requirements or limitations. Accepting more forms of insurance will enable patients to seek orthodontic care that couldn’t before; more individuals can access the services they need, promote overall oral health and well-being, and grow your orthodontic practice.
You can expand your patient base greatly by working with different insurance providers. You may have to make some adjustments to your practice to be able to accept different insurance plans, but in the end, those adjustments will be well worth the effort. Consider expanding the number of insurance providers you work with .
Offer Services for All Ages
According to the American Dental Association, about 25% of orthodontic patients are adults. Expanding the age that you serve can result in practice growth. You can only open the door to new patients when you don’t limit your practice to pediatric dental services. Today there are different orthodontic treatments that are specifically geared toward adults, you could tap into that market by expanding the age range of the new patients you accept.
People of all ages are searching for orthodontic services. You want to be the orthodontist that is flexible in who they serve to attract more new patients. Orthodontics is not like other dental practices in that once the treatment is complete, you lose the patient. The patient attrition rate is high; your practice must keep evolving to ensure you regularly have a new influx of patients.
Opening your practice to patients of all ages can ensure that you will have a regular flow of new patients and will be able to grow your orthodontic practice. If you need to get additional training and become certified in adult orthodontic treatment options, do it. Evolving as an orthodontist and offering services to populations that you currently don’t serve will grow your practice.
Maintain Your Exterior
When you think about growing your practice, the first thing that pops into your mind is probably not partnering with a local commercial roofing company. However, if the exterior of your building is in bad shape and you need some roofing work done, it should. To grow your orthodontic practice, you must not only get involved in the community, build a name for yourself, and offer a wide range of services to a wide audience; you must keep up with the facility.
The exterior of your building is the first thing that potential patients see. They are immediately making decisions about your practice and your abilities based on the impression of the exterior of the building. Additionally, foot traffic and people driving by are also making decisions about your practice based on how the exterior of your facility appears.
You don’t want to send potential patients the wrong message about your practice by not having an aesthetically pleasing exterior. Of course, keeping up with the exterior of the building also maintains the property’s value. Make the right impression by keeping up with the exterior of your building. Get repairs done as necessary and keep everything tidy with the help of a local commercial roofing company.
Connect With Other Providers
We touched briefly on the importance of referrals from family dentists when we talked about community involvement. Connecting with a pediatric care center can be an easy way to grow your orthodontic practice through referrals. Of course, the question begs to be asked, how do you connect with these other providers? The answer is simple.
Host an open house and invite other providers to check out your practice. Creating a network in your community can be as simple as reaching out to providers in the area and inviting them to a gathering. Start an association in your community of dental care providers and brainstorm together.
Offer providers in your area discounts for their patients if they refer them. Consider working with other providers on community programs and events. Volunteer your time for a dental care provider that is hosting a free exam event. Extending your services on a volunteer basis can help you to get involved with the dental care community and result in more referrals for your practice.
Repair Your Parking Lot
We talked about the importance of caring for the exterior of your building. While you are making repairs to the exterior of the building, don’t forget about your parking lot. Parking lot paving may be necessary to ensure that patients have a safe place to park when they come for their appointment. Patient reviews are critical to grow your orthodontic practice. An awful parking experience can taint reviews.
Your patient’s experience starts from the minute they pull into your parking lot. You want to make sure that their experience is stellar from start to finish. A safe, clean space to park will ensure that they write a glowing review about their wonderful experience. Fix your parking lot if it needs repairs.
Install a New Floor
Laminate flooring installation can help grow your orthodontic practice. Remember, your patients are going to rate their experience based on the entire experience. If the floors in your office are worn, they will remember that and likely mention the condition of the facility in their review. It is not only the care that you provide that patients are rating you on, but also the aesthetic of the office as well.
New flooring will update the space, make it appear cleaner, and give the impression that your office is a modern orthodontic office. Appearance matters. Old, worn flooring doesn’t send the right message. Old flooring looks dirty and may give the impression that your practice is not the most hygienic.
Making upgrades to your office like adding new flooring, can help grow your orthodontic practice. Patients make decisions about your ability and commitment to them based on your office’s appearance. A new floor can be just the ticket to send the right message.
Update Your Lighting
We have already established how important it is that your office is aesthetically pleasing. If you want your office to convey that you are a modern orthodontic practice don’t forget to upgrade the lighting. A local certified electrician can easily install new lighting to update the look of your practice.
Of course, lighting is not all about aesthetics. The right lighting can be energy-saving. Upgrading the lighting in your office can help you to lower operating costs. Today’s modern lighting is focused on providing energy efficiency. Saving energy should be a priority, and new lighting can help to achieve the goal of energy savings.
Lighting can be decorative and easily improve the aesthetics of your office. An electrician will have the solutions you need to improve your lighting. Updating your lighting will instantly upgrade your office and help you grow your orthodontic practice.
Remodel Your Waiting Room
Keeping on theme with creating the best experience for your patients you should remodel your waiting room. A remodeling company can help you to redesign your waiting room and create a great experience for your patients. Ensuring your waiting room is comfortable and aesthetically appealing will improve patient satisfaction.
A comfortable waiting room is essential for any practice. Patients often get frustrated when they must wait to see the provider. The waiting room plays a critical role in helping to keep patient frustration down. Waiting rooms should be calming and comfy. If your waiting room is lacking that will negatively affect patient experience.
A bright cheerful waiting room that offers patients a place to relax and prepare for their appointment will ensure patient satisfaction with their experience. Connect with a remodeling company that specializes in remodeling medical practices. Drawing more patients into your practice is highly relevant to keeping the patients that you have satisfied. Invest in remodeling your waiting room to grow your orthodontic practice.
Honing your skillset and providing the best in patient care is only part of the equation when you want to grow your orthodontic practice. As an orthodontic practice, it is essential that you put some of your energy into growing your practice. The attrition rate for orthodontists is high, you need a new influx of patients regularly to keep your practice on an upward trajectory.
Focusing your energy on tasks that are known to work to build a practice will reap the results that you are hoping for. Learn more about the ways you can grow your orthodontic practice.
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