Having a fear of the dentist isn’t uncommon, yet these tooth magicians are a necessary part of our day-to-day life. Even if you’ve seen the Nazi dentist in Marathon Man, avoiding yours is about as wise as poking a bear with a stick.
But if you’re a dentist yourself, starting a dental practice defines when you know you’re the crème de la crème of the industry.
Maybe you’re not comfortable with your boss’s way of running business (they might have watched Marathon Man one too many times), or perhaps you just want things done your way all day.
Indeed, having your name above the door of your own practice is undeniably appealing – but it also requires a lot of responsibility. With that in mind, we’ve put together a few pointers to help you on your way to a successful dental business.
Know your waste types
Have a flick through Google News for dental mishaps and you’ll hit a deeply unpleasant goldmine. One dentist, Desmond D’Mello, has led to 450 people being tested for infections after poor hygiene practices. And he’s just the tip of the iceberg.
In this age of effective hygiene services, there’s no excuse for infections in your practice. Yet, so many places will ignore toxic waste warnings and put their clients at risk. To avoid such wayward cleanliness, hire hygiene experts who will periodically check on the state of your workplace.
More than this, keep abreast of the basics – hand washing, clean dental implements and an assistant who’ll keep you in the right.
A relaxing practice
You can see those tense customers as soon as they walk through their door – Marathon Man is running through their head, their wide-eyed terror is on display like a bomb siren is wailing at them and you see the cogs turning as they think, “Maybe my teeth don’t feel so bad after all…”
Put their mind at ease. Paint your reception area warm, soothing colours. Place magazines in the waiting room – not those ancient things that seem to be trapped in a time warp in every waiting room, but up to date, entertaining periodicals.
Some people just want to have their teeth checked and be sent out as quickly as possible – so make their stay as stress-free as you can.
Live up to your reputation
In this modern age of digital communication, a poor review in some dark corner of the internet could lose you a sizable number of customers. There are many sites dedicated to rating dental practices in the UK, and people are checking them more and more before they book an appointment.
For every unsatisfied customer, you could lose 10 more. So make sure your service is optimal no matter who comes through the door.