E21: Who Are You Trying to Serve?

Today I’m sharing my experience sitting on a panel for an event hosted by my local dental society “The Business Side of Dentistry” for new dentists. The event was aimed at dentists who are less than 10 years out of school, and that includes me. It was great to see a variety of experience levels represented in the group. The majority were unlicensed dental residents who were about to launch their careers!

As a presenter at the event, I shared my dental home care practice model, AccommoDental, and encouraged new dentists to embrace in-home dental care. I was thrilled to see that my presentation sparked a lot of interest and generated many questions from residents and dentists who own brick and mortar practices. If you’ve listened to this podcast before, you know my practice has a completely different business model from the other startups or acquisitions that these new dentists have learned about before. Check out episode #3 about a blue ocean to learn more.

Two questions, in particular, stood out to me: why don’t I offer luxury in-home services and why don’t I have a mobile van? The answer to both questions is simple: my mission is to provide care to patients who are best-served at home. My patient pool is composed of patients with special needs, older adults, patients with dental anxiety, patients with autoimmune disorders, and patients with neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. These patients don’t typically demand veneers or luxurious dental care because they’re most concerned with health and comfort. Additionally, many of them cannot physically get into a van.

While mobile dental van models are more efficient than my home care model and a concierge luxury practice is likely more lucrative than my practice, I am clear on the patients I’m trying to serve. You need to be clear on WHO you are interested in serving before you start any practice. Dentistry is a health service, and every single person on the planet needs it. No single dentist can treat every person on earth in the best way. This is why we have many dentists and specialists who practice in different ways. Variety and freedom allow ALL patients to be served.

I recommend that you check out episode 13 with Dr. Miles and episode 15 with Dr. Amaro, because these mobile dentists do their own thing their own way and it’s great!

If you’re considering offering at-home dental services to patients who cannot get to the dentist, I highly recommend exploring all of the great dental business ideas out there. Offering house calls isn’t only wonderful for these patients, it can offer a lot of value and flexibility to your life, too. Check out my FREE scheduling template “A Day in the Life of a House Call Dentist” to envision what your days could look like if you embraced this model.

Lastly, whether you decide to pursue dental home care or not, please consider supporting those in need of it by contributing to the Home Smile Care Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by myself and my loved ones to offer financial assistance to patients who struggle to afford in-home care.

Thank you for taking the time to tune into episode 21 today. I hope that my experience has inspired you to consider offering at-home dental care for the patients who need it. Remember, every little bit helps!

 

Visit me at: ResiDENTAL Movement Website

 

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Produced by: Social Chameleon