Learn how educating your patients can help you get patients that keep coming back without asking for a discount on treatment.

1. How Can We Raise
Patient Awareness of
Dental Health, Show
Value, and Stop the
Negotiation of Fees?

2. Dentists are taking home less than ever, and the cost
of running a quality practice is consistently
increasing. So many dentists participate with PPO &
HMO plans and then become disgruntled with the
low reimbursements. Patients don’t think twice
about asking a dentist for a discount on his/her fees.
Or worse, a dentist will discount his/her fees before
presenting treatment to a patient out of fear that the
patient won’t accept the needed treatment.

3. The same patient who will ask for a discount doesn’t
think twice about spending $1,000 or more on a new
designer handbag. To her, the handbag screams
status. “Look at me! I’m special.” The handbag
designer has branded themselves well; have you
branded your practice well? That is a discussion for
another time.

4. I have an acquaintance who brags about the vehicles
she has driven over the years: Maserati’s, Ferrari’s, 9
different BMW’s, Porsche’s, Jaguars, etc. She owns
her own business and a home worth a over a million.
She complains incessantly about the high cost of her
dental care, yet needs no treatment beyond her 6
month recare.

5. I’ve met with many doctors over the past few years
who consistently believe the downturn in the
economy is the reason their practices are suffering or
failing. I come from a background of indemnity
insurance and fee for service. I remember in the
1980’s, patients rarely balked at the cost of
treatment, and I was working with practices that did
a LOT of high end cosmetic reconstructive treatment.

6. We in the dental community have
failed
We’ve failed to educate the public on how their oral
health effects their overall health. Failed in properly
educating our patients about the value of our
dentistry and the impact it can have on their lives.
Dentists have failed themselves with the belief of
“it’s the economy” attitude.

7. What if as a whole we in the dental world stood up
to the big insurance companies and said no more?
What would your life look like if you worked less, saw
fewer patients and were to charge your full fee? I
hope your fees are around the 80th percentile for
your area. Again, a discussion for another time. It is
my belief that we have allowed insurance to dictate
how we run our businesses. Notice that I said
businesses, not practices.

8. A business that has overhead to meet every month.
For some reason, people seem to view the dental
practice as anything other than a business. Yes, we
are in the business of changing & saving lives, but at
the end of the day a practice is still a business.

9. I also believe we have a society which feels entitled.
Entitled to a new car every 2-3 years, the designer
handbags, the luxury watches, etc. When doctors tell
me it’s the economy, or patients just don’t value
their dental health, my reaction is the following:
Restaurants have long lines again and movie theater
ticket prices have increased exponentially, yet the
seats are full. Have you taken a trip recently? Planes
are full, and airline ticket prices have increased.

10. One of these doctors had this discussion with me
immediately after telling me about the $6,000
vacation she had just booked. She then proceeded to
inform me that she could not afford a consultant or
an Office Manager. This same doctor doesn’t
participate with any PPO insurance plans, only works
3 days a week, and blames the “economy” for the
reason she can’t afford a consultant.

11. What happens when you discount your fee for Mrs.
Smith’s crown & build up, then Mrs. Jones who
happens to be an acquaintance of Mrs. Smith comes
to your practice expecting the same discount? We
know moms talk to each other on the soccer field
while watching their kids’ games.

12. And we want them talking, because word of mouth is
the best advertising money can’t buy. But we want
them talking about what a great practice you have,
how enjoyable your team makes each appointment,
and how important they feel while in your office. In
other words, we want Ms. Patient excited about your
practice. Are you excited about your practice? If you
aren’t, your team, your patients, and your
community won’t be either.

13. It’s time to stop degrading our
beloved profession
Set yourself apart from the dentist on the next
corner. Every practice has its core values, whether
written or unwritten. It’s your core values and
patient education that keep your patients returning.
Yes, some patients come to you because you
participate with their benefit plan. The ones who’ve
been educated to value your dentistry will stay or
return once they realize the benefits they gain with
being a patient of your practice.