Bete Johnson is the Senior Vice President, General Manager of CareCredit. 

Bete Johnson

Report Provides Insights to Help Give Patients Clarity on the Cost of Dental Care | Image Credit: © CareCredit

I've spoken with thousands of dentists and have found that delivering clinical outcomes that make patients healthy and happy is their primary motivator. Part of being able to get patients healthy is enabling them to move forward with needed care. Cost continues to be a leading barrier to dentistry. To better understand the impact of the out-of-pocket cost of dental care and how it affects patients’ care decisions, Synchrony completed the

The study provides insights to help the dental community, including CareCredit, help patients be prepared for the cost of care. Brian Harris, dentist, speaker, coach, and the CEO and founder of the Smile Virtual software platform, joins me to discuss the findings.

According to the study, the out-of-pocket cost of dental care for an average adult aged 20 to 79 years ranges from $51,000 to more than $95,000 over a lifetime, not including implants, orthodontics, or more complex dental needs, which could add thousands of dollars to the total. This range includes single coverage, couple coverage, and family coverage. Does this amount surprise you?

Not really. But I’m glad that Synchrony has quantified the lifetime cost of dentistry so that people are more informed and can be, hopefully, more prepared. I agree that dentistry can be expensive. Cost has always been something that captures people by surprise. That’s nothing new. And people are feeling a financial pinch now more than ever.

It also probably doesn’t surprise you that the findings indicate that 58% of respondents believe dental care is not affordable, which may be the reason why the majority of respondents (54%) said they did not go to the dentist this past year because of cost, and why 59% would ignore, wait, or choose a less costly dental procedure.

 No, that doesn’t surprise me either. I think it’s a bigger conversation than the cost and the relevance of financing to help enable care. It’s more about the conversation of how we as a dental community can make it easier for people to get the dental work they want to have done. How do we break down those barriers to case acceptance? We need to stop making things difficult and confusing for patients. I always say a confused patient will make the choice to do nothing.

 One of the things that the research took a look at was patients’ understanding of dental benefits and costs. Three key findings stood out: Only 30% of respondents found understanding dental costs easy, half of insured respondents did not know their annual maximum, and just a quarter knew their annual premium. As you said, we need to make it easier and break down barriers. I believe there is a big opportunity for the dental community to educate patients…so they are informed and can choose what is best for their oral health.

 It is a big opportunity and, I believe specifically for dentists and teams, a responsibility. I think if we look at it more from the lens of the consumer and what does the patient really want? They want to be able to eat without discomfort. They want to have a confident smile. They want to keep their teeth for life. And they want us to make that easy for them. If you give people too many options it can be overwhelming and confusing.

First we have to educate patients about dental benefits so they have an understanding of how they work and what they contribute to the cost of dentistry. Then we need to be up front and transparent with our payment options. We have found that if we stick to 1 main financing company and have financing as part of the treatment plan discussions, it makes it simpler for patients. We always present an estimated monthly payment with financing along with the total cost of care so that patients know their options up front and can choose what works best for them so they can get care.

I agree. We all have a role to play in patient education. CareCredit goes beyond offering financing options to providing in-depth information on procedures, costs, and ways to plan and pay for care. In fact, CareCredit created Well U—a robust collection of articles and videos (carecredit.com/WellU) specifically for this purpose. That’s why 1 stat from the study concerns me, which is that 92% of respondents said they would consider holding off on general dental care because of cost and 83% would consider holding off emergency dental care. We all know that so many dental conditions left untreated result in additional problems and expense. We’ve got to put patients in control of their oral health.

 Exactly. You know, none of us can control interest rates or the economy. But we can control and take responsibility for the way we educate patients and how we present the cost of dentistry, explain their benefits, and provide them a path to get healthy. So they can control and better understand and manage their benefits and out-of-pocket costs, and ultimately get a healthy and beautiful smile they’ll enjoy for life.

This content is subject to change without notice and offered for informational use only. You are urged to consult with your individual advisers [and/or medical providers] with respect to any information presented. Synchrony and any of its affiliates, including CareCredit, (collectively, “Synchrony”) make no representations or warranties regarding this content and accept no liability for any loss or harm arising from the use of the information provided. Your receipt of this material constitutes your acceptance of these terms and conditions.

Articles

Synchrony conducts study to learn how out-of-pocket costs affect decisions about treatments.

Report Provides Insights to Help Give Patients Clarity on the Cost of Dental Care 

A Powerful Practice Success Strategy | Image Credit: © CareCredit 


Many dentists are seeking to improve team turnover, patient retention, and case acceptance. The answer may be as simple as creating a culture of appreciation for both patients and the team. Words of affirmation like “thank you,” “I appreciate you” and “great job” are more than a love language; they may be a powerful way to improve your team’s morale, productivity and loyalty. My friend and colleague Heather Colicchio, president, and founder of the American Association of Office Management (AADOM), joins me to discuss the power of positive reinforcement and how it may impact your practice’s and patients’ health.

Heather, this September CareCredit, in partnership with AADOM, will be celebrating Office Manager Appreciation Month. The power of appreciation is so important for not only office managers, but the entire dental team. Let’s start with the “why”–why do you think saying even a simple thank you can impact the practice, team, and patients?

 It starts by understanding why people work–what motivates them to not only meet but exceed expectations. Of course, there’s compensation and benefits and those are important. But I’ve found for many professionals, especially in healthcare and dentistry, making a positive difference and feeling appreciated is also important and often drives their job satisfaction, productivity, and longevity with a practice.And when someone is happy, productive, and committed to the success of the practice, they are an invaluable member of the team.

 Another powerful aspect of appreciation is how it impacts the patient journey, including treatment acceptance and retention. When I get exceptional service and am treated like a valuable customer, I know it affects what I buy in that moment and if that company now has a customer for life who recommend them to friends and family.

Heather Colicchio President and Founder of AADOM

September is Office Manager Appreciation Month and I know you join me in encouraging dentists and their teams to purposefully make time to recognize their #AwesomeOM. CareCredit has created a site (

) that has ideas, inspiration, and free resources to make it easier for the team to join in the festivities.

Totally agree. That internal desire to help is a strong motivator, but it only goes so far. The team’s ability and desire to deliver that type of care and experience starts at the leadership level. The same goes with creating a culture of appreciation. It starts with the doctor taking the time to recognize everyone on the team and how they contribute to the success of the practice on a day-to-day basis. Like you said, a simple thank you can be very powerful as long as it is authentic.

 Heather, let’s talk about one easy way the doctor can lead his team in appreciation. September is Office Manager Appreciation Month and I know you join me in encouraging dentists and their teams to purposefully make time to recognize their #AwesomeOM. CareCredit has created a site (https://omam.carecreditvirtual.com) that has ideas, inspiration, and free resources to make it easier for the team to join in the festivities. Then, on September 1st, a special virtual experience at the same site just for the Office Manager or Administrator will go live with games, affirmation, kudos and much more! Last year we had thousands of office managers enjoy the celebration and hope we have even more join this year.

 Yes! Every year the celebration gets bigger and bigger. Last year we saw so many in-practice celebrations on social media (#OMAM, #AwesomeOM). It was wonderful to see the unique and fun ways they celebrated. I’d like to share a few more ideas on how to participate in OMAM. Flowers, breakfast and lunch treats, handwritten notes, morning huddle kudos and even a “Our Office Manager Makes Us Happy Hour” once business is done for the day. In September at the AADOM annual meeting we announce and celebrate the AADOM Practice Administrator of the Year. So, the month is full of celebration, community and fun.

The best thing about recognition and appreciation is that it’s not monetized, yet can be so valuable to everyone on the team, the patients and the practice. So let me be the first to say, “Thank you to all the office managers. The past few years have been unique to say the least and we’ve witnessed so many leaders in the dental practice putting in extraordinary energy and effort to ensure that their patients and practice are well taken care of. Enjoy Office Manager Appreciation Month!”

Office manager appreciation can be free and powerful, and it may improve 
production.

A Powerful Practice Success Strategy

Having worked in a successful practice, I know how important time is. If you’re understaffed, time management becomes one of the most critical challenges your team has. Today, we’re talking about ways your team can work smarter—not harder.

Economic Outlook and Emerging Issues in Dentistry

 by the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, one-third of dentists continue to report that they are actively recruiting dental hygienists and assistants, and 24% are looking for administrative staff. Even if you are fully staffed, last-minute sick days can throw a curve ball into practice operations.

I asked my colleagues Sam Bakuri, DMD, MSD, and Carrie Webber this question: If the goal is to deliver quality patient care and an exceptional patient experience, how can that be done when there’s not enough staff or time to get everything done? Dr Bakuri is the owner of Greater Pittsburgh Dental Implants and Periodontics in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, and Webber is the owner of Jameson Management and one of dentistry’s brightest coaches and consultants.

Their answers? Look at your systems and invest in team training.

There are 2 kinds of dental offices: those that have efficient [staff] who run the office systems, and those that have efficient systems that consistently produce efficient workers. It’s easy to see the latter is a sustainable model that will enable both the practice and its employees to thrive. On the other hand, offices that don’t have efficient systems will consistently struggle when they have turnover, lose an employee or even have a new team member they are trying to onboard. The reality is [that] even your most loyal team members may have unexpected situations that come up, which requires them to leave your practice. In contrast, efficient systems become the foundation and actual training method to create great team members.

 Focus on training, culture, and simplification. It is important that there are clear roles in place and that team members fully understand their responsibilities and [are] trained to execute them consistently. When things get busy or the practice is short-staffed, it’s important that the team have an attitude of ownership and is ready and willing to help carry the load. Teams should look for ways to minimize the time needed to manage tasks by simplifying.

It can be difficult to make process changes or invest time in team training when it’s a struggle just to get the daily tasks done. Optimizing technology is one way to accomplish creating efficient systems. Leaning into resources available from the practice’s partners, such as CareCredit, can also help.

Most practices have practice management software but may not be fully utilizing its functionality, which was probably designed to save them time and reduce human error. Having a conversation with your software partner may uncover easy-to-use applications within the software that can be implemented with minimal training.

CareCredit leverages technology to provide several options that enable patients to learn about the CareCredit credit card, see if they prequalify with no impact to their credit score and apply, making it easy for dental teams to use CareCredit in a way that best fits their systems and processes.

CareCredit is integrated into most practice management software. The integration allows users to quickly access client account information and easily process application and transactions without having to leave their software system.

Patients can use their smartphone to scan the QR code to learn about and apply for CareCredit on their own, saving the team time and enabling patients to keep their financial information private.

With a simple click of a button patients can apply while on your website using their computer, laptop, smartphone or preferred device.

All of these options are designed to provide a seamless, easy financial experience that saves your team time, which as we mentioned, is one of your most critical resources. My 2 colleagues agree:

 Time is definitely a finite resource. We only get so many hours and minutes in a day. It’s important to remember to focus our time and efforts on those things that impact patient care and satisfaction. 

Processes are important. But at the end of the day caring for patients is the most important thing we do. When short staffed, minimize anything that takes time and focus away from establishing trust and human connection.

1. American Dental Association Health Policy Institute. Economic outlook and emerging issues in dentistry. February 2023. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/feb2023_hpi_economic_outlook_dentistry_slides_2023.pdf

In this column, designed to help connect providers with some of the most practical ideas from their colleagues, consultants, and other dental experts, the author talks with Sam Bakuri, DMD, MSD, and Carrie Webber.