Dr. David Burt

	Although it seems that DSOs are going to rule the dental world in the near future, solo and partner practices can take heart in the fact that we know their Achilles heel, so to speak.

	We, as either new or sustaining practices, can use this information to ensure productive, prosperous and fulfilling dental careers even with corporate dentistry down the street. What’s the secret? It’s actually less complicated than you think-if you are dedicated to making it work.

	The first and most important phase of fighting back is centered on two simple words: patient care. Sure, it almost sounds like a “duh” phrase but the concept is multi-factorial and a big part of success as a dentist. It’s not just about your actual care for your patients, but also how you approach it. The DSO model has dentists on tiers with their income and it is highly production driven. It may not be quotas, but DSO dentists do have to produce at certain levels to justify what they pay them. And that seems to many people to be sales driven, rather than care driven. Patients don’t want to be “sold”, they want to be taken care of.

Related reading: Are the DSOs really taking over?

	We need to remember that dentistry is still a profession and not just a commodity. The business of dentistry seems to be eclipsing the fact that we are a healing art first. A large treatment plan that blows them out of the water is not in their best interests and I have seen it many times from offices that place production as king. Patient care is realizing that dental care is tied to financial and emotional care, something we in the private sector, can utilize to create patient satisfaction and loyalty. That kind of total care is key to keeping and attracting patients who appreciate not feeling like they’re being sold a used car.

	The statement in other articles that we need to ask the proper questions of DSOs to survive is really counterproductive for our own wellbeing. Why would I want to do that and what could I possibly ask that may help us all get along? DSOs are our competition and should be treated accordingly, but not with fear or anger. Private sector will never have the marketing budget DSOs have but spending big dollars is not the only way to keep a practice healthy and new patients coming in the door.

Related reading: The one question dentists need to ask about DSOs

	One needs to make sure that social media is utilized to the fullest and that you also personally market your practice in the community. Street fairs, church bazaars, school and daycare presentations are just a sample of the ways one can grow a private practice. Remember, corporate is a billboard, you are a person, so maximize your interaction with people and create the kind of patient loyalty that DSOs can never take away from you.

	So don’t whine about the rise of corporate dentistry: Embrace the competition and beat them at their own game.

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Solo and partner practices don't need to be overwhelmed by the DSO trend-if they take the right steps now.

Pushing back against DSO takeovers

	Recent Dental Practice Management articles have identified a significant number of potential problems that dental private practice appears to have with the apparent takeover by DSOs.

	They are better funded, organized, and staffed, while wielding buying power that we could never imagine in a solo practice. The growth of DSOs seems to be at a pace which would scare any dentist into thinking that the end of practice as we know it, is in its death knell. But is it really as bad as it appears to be? Can dentists find happiness in our profession without being part of a large dental conglomerate? Let’s take a look at the issues and see if it is all doom and gloom.

Related reading: How solo practices can survive as DSOs continue to grow

	First, DSOs are all corporations and have all their employees follow rules, regulations and procedures ultimately structured for the corporation rather than the worker. I see ads all the time which promise high earning potential and benefits that seem a little inflated to someone already in practice. So how do they do it?

	After talking with some recent grads that have lived the DSO model, the feeling they conveyed to me was that it was OK, but they would rather be in practice for themselves and were planning to get out of corporate dentistry as soon as the situation allows it. Their employer dictated the schedule, determined the dentist workload and strongly encouraged them to present services and procedures that may or may be in the best interest of the patient. Trying new materials and technology only happened when the powers that be decided it was good for the bottom line. In short, they were already burning out and felt somewhat disillusioned by the experience.

	Second, dentistry is unique in that we are physicians, contractors and artists at the same time. We engineer and build things, alter appearances and make changes to the human body. It’s built into our genes that we will create and do it our way. This kind of fierce independence won’t stop any time soon and it could be the reason that there is a fairly high turnover of dentists in DSOs. Many of us still want  autonomy and the ability to just do it our own way. That’s not corporate.

Trending article: What benefits do DSOs provide for dentists?

	Third, private practice is a respite, for a significant number of people, from the new order we see in medicine which is turning more and more depersonalized. Patients tell me all the time they would never ever go to a DSO office and will always be a part of an independent practice where they are treated well and don’t feel like a number. DSOs are here to stay and will continue to grow over the coming years but the warning that they will take over dentistry as we know it just doesn’t fit in with I see.

Next installment: So how do we fight back?

There's been a lot of doom and gloom about the end of private practice-but is the future really so bleak?