WHY DOES GOING TO A PRIVATE DENTAL PRACTICE MATTER?

When you choose a dentist you are probably looking for someone who has a great deal of passion, a comfortable office, friendly staff and someone who can easily empathize with your needs and feelings. While all of these are very important qualities of a truly great dentist, we believe it is also important to look for a dentist who owns their own practice, as there are many benefits for both the dentist and their patients. Over the last several years there has been a great shift from the once common, single owner dental practice to corporate offices. A corporate office is a dental office owned by a business and not owned by the dentist. But for many working inside the dental industry, this shift has come with several negative aspects that are affecting the way dentists are able to provide the best care possible to their patients.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PRIVATE AND CORPORATE OWNED DENTAL PRACTICES?

Most dentists, while sitting in dental school, dreaming about the future practice they would own, dreamt about the decoration, the equipment, the type of chairs, and the colors, encompassing the entire dream of a private dental practice.    While most dentists begin their practice as an associate, they all have great hopes of having their dream practice. This quest for ownership, in essence, is the American dream and it pushes all people to become better. In dentistry, it is no different. A dentist who owns the practice is trying to build long-term relationships, they care about the quality of even the smallest filling. Each patient matters to them. After all, it is his/her name that is on the line. Along with the long-term relational investment between a doctor and patient, there are numerous other benefits of a privately owned dental practice. With a privately owned dental practice dentists are also able to create the type of experience that they have always dreamed of. This is a great opportunity for dentists to be their own bosses and cultivate the type of doctor/patient relationships that feel right for them. In most cases, this means that patients receive the best possible customer service and on a whole, feel more comfortable and safe with their choice in dentists. In contrast, corporate offices have production goals that are being pushed on the dentist by a business owner. The dentist only plans on working for a short while until they can find their own practice. In addition corporately owned practices leave dentists with no control over the selection of equipment, dental supplies and where the office is located. This can put added stress on your dentist, their staff and ultimately the most important person at the dental office, you! Many dentists who provide care services in a corporately owned facility also struggle with providing the best possible experience for each individual patient, due to a lack of control on the business side of the practice.

WHY IS IT BETTER TO BE PRIVATELY OWNED?

In the end, when it comes to choosing private over corporate, many dentists and their patients believe that having control over how the business and care side of the practice are run, benefits everyone. For the dentist, this means being able to be their own boss and providing the level of care they are comfortable with to build the practice of their dreams. For patients, this means you are able to receive the highest quality of care in a comfortable and reliable facility. Overall, there is also a greater chance of building a lasting relationship between dentists, their staff and their patients. It is a win-win situation for everyone involved.