Renee Knight is a freelance writer and editor who's been covering the dental industry for 15 years. 

Renee Knight

 in your practice? Make sure you’re using benefit statements when you present treatment, said Lois Banta of Banta Consulting. 

Explain to patients who aren’t sure if they really need that crown what the health and financial consequences may be for delaying care. 

But don’t leave it at that. Let them know you understand it’s an investment, and that you want to make sure they have the least amount of 

 possible. Help your patients see the long-term benefits of receiving the care now versus waiting until the problem gets worse.

Your patients are your practice. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients.

That’s where we can help. Check back regularly for tips on how to keep your patients happy, healthy and loyal.

Articles

Tell them what’s in it for them. Want to improve patient case acceptance in your practice? Make sure you’re using benefit statements when you present treatment, said Lois Banta of Banta Consulting.   

Monday's Patient Tip of the Day - Week 1

Your patients have plenty of short-term reasons why they can’t go through with treatment, from it’s too expensive to they just don’t think it’s necessary, and that’s why it’s important for you to talk with them about their long-term goals.

Educate them about how they can keep their teeth over a lifetime, and listen to what they want for their oral health future so you can tell them how to get there, said Lois Banta of Banta Consulting.

If you tell them what treatment they need before you know their long-term goals, they’ll come back to you with excuses about why they just can’t do it right know. But if you know the best way to present the treatment that relates it back to their goals, you’ll have them thinking about why they should get the treatment, not focusing on why they shouldn’t. 

Get them thinking long term. Your patients have plenty of short-term reasons why they can’t go through with treatment, from it’s too expensive to they just don’t think it’s necessary, and that’s why it’s important for you to talk with them about their long-term goals.

Friday Patient Tip of the Day

After working in larger, high-production labs for several years James Davidge and his wife opened James Dean Prosthetic Arts in California about a year ago. The two-person removables lab focuses on quality and using only the best materials available. They have about 40 clients and are focused on finding out of the box ways to provide high quality prosthetics.

The translucent unidirectional e-glass fiber provides solutions to everyday challenges. Provisional implant restorations, non-metallic Maryland bridges, long-span bridges, repairs of full and partial dentures, implant overdentures, and thin areas of acrylic resins and composites can be easily strengthened without compromising esthetics. eFiber’s impregnated unidirectional e-glass fiber is stronger than multi-directional light cure mesh, braided fibers, and metal because of the fiber’s ability to bond with acrylic resins and composites. It’s the only reinforcement you can grind and polish, allowing technicians to place the reinforcement in the optimal position to stop a fracture before it begins.

and all its benefits, he keeps coming back to one key point: it’s invisible.

“You would never know it’s in there,” he said, adding that it has no bulk and is light weight. “If you want the most esthetic restoration possible, the most lifelike gingival and tooth set up this is it. If you see a big metal framework or mesh, it’s an eye sore and it instantly stands out as being a prosthetic and that’s what I want to get away from.”

Because it’s invisible, there’s no esthetic disadvantage to using eFiber, Davidge said, but the other benefits it brings make adding it to your routine a no-brainer. One of the biggest benefits is the peace of mind it brings to you and your clients. It’s designed to stop fractures before they happen, and is placed in the prosthetic’s stress points, adding insurance that the prosthetic won’t break. That’s key to happy clients and happy patients, especially when they’re paying you a lot of money to complete a case.

“If I’m doing a huge case, the last thing I want in the world is for that thing to break and for me to have delivered a substandard product,” he said. “The last thing a dentist wants is for a patient to come in and say ‘I just spent a fortune and here’s the two pieces of my denture.’ It would be almost foolish career wise to not put it in. Why wouldn’t you want extra insurance, strength with no esthetic disadvantage, no weight, no nothing? By not putting it in you’re taking a big risk on your quality control. I’ve never had a prosthetic I’ve put this in break.”

Davidge doesn’t have to worry about a clinician coming back to him with a broken case, and that means he doesn’t lose the time and money it takes to fix a case gone bad, not to mention that 

 in his work. Once he’s done with a case he moves on to the next one confident that both doctor and patient will be pleased with the result.

Another benefit? eFiber also is easy to use. The company has come up with a whole system to let technicians know where to place it, how to place it and why they should place it there. Technicians don’t have to come up with their own technique to get it to work, and they don’t have to worry about a lot of components or steps to get the job done. It only takes a few minutes to place and it isn’t technique sensitive. It bonds to both composite and acrylic, which means Davidge never has any trouble bonding the latest and greatest teeth to the denture base. And it also means eFiber isn’t restricted to just removables; you can use it for crown and bridge as well.

For the time and money it takes to add eFiber to your removables, Davidge said he can’t see why any technician wouldn’t use it. He feels good about providing it and he’s seen what he describes as a fantastic return on his investment. And for those technicians who aren’t using it, he knows for a fact they’re re-doing cases, he said, and dealing with all the stress and revenue loss that come with remakes.

“This is a 2 minute investment in your day,” he said. “It’s very quick, very easy to use to not have the catastrophic result of your appliance breaking. That’s a downward cycle. You have to deal with a lot more negativity than if you just put it in and forget about it. I can’t sleep sometimes because I’m thinking about a case. This is one less thing I have to think about. That’s good enough for me.” 

 The lab After working in larger, high-production labs for several years James Davidge and his wife opened James Dean Prosthetic Arts in California about a year ago. The two-person removables lab focuses on quality and using only the best materials available. They have about 40 clients and are focused on finding out of the box ways to provide high quality prosthetics.

Real Time ROI: Preat Corp.'s eFiber

The thought of it may make you feel uncomfortable or even a little anxious, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore what a good 

And while most of you already know you need to market your practice to survive, 54% of you said dental marketing is bad for the profession, according to a survey from The Wealthy Dentist.

If you’re among those who cringe when you hear the word marketing, it’s time for an attitude adjustment. There is plenty of good that can come from marketing, so make the move to bust out of your comfort zone and benefit from all a little self promotion has to offer.

You aren’t taught marketing in school, so most dentists aren’t familiar with the different ways they can promote their practice, said Jackie Bailey of 

. All too often dentists have no idea where to begin.

Beyond that, some dentists believe they shouldn’t have to market their practice to attract patients. Good dentistry is all you really need. Besides, there is that negative connotation surrounding the word “advertising” and that’s something many of you would rather not be associated with.

“I don’t feel marketing is dirty at all. It’s all how you look at it and what you do to market your practice,” Bailey said. “If dentists feel it’s dirty, it’s because they don’t realize what’s out there for them. There will always be those dentists who advertise in a dishonest way, which is another reason marketing seems dirty to some dentists.”

Before you label marketing as bad, make sure you have the right definition. Re-frame what marketing is to you, said Robert Spiel, MBA, of 

. Marketing is a tool to convey the value and the values that you bring to the market place. It’s about emotion and conveying the emotion you want the recipients to feel. Your marketing should capture their interest and lead them to want to ask you questions.

There are a lot of ways to market your practice, Bailey said. Be creative. One practice she works with in a downtown area sent staff members from the office to nearby businesses. They reached out to human resources departments, taking magnets and toothbrushes to human resource managers and befriending them. The result was when these HR managers talked with new employees, they mentioned the dental office right down the street with the nice employees and the dentist who takes their insurance.

“Doing something like this doesn’t cost a lot but it can mean a lot,” Bailey said. “It’s an inexpensive way to make a difference. It’s a matter of creatively thinking and brainstorming with team members to find the right niche for your practice.”

Often times dentists don’t market their practices as effectively as they should simply because they don’t know where to start. It can be intimidating, but remember there’s no shame in asking for help. 

 like Spiel and Bailey can help you develop a marketing plan for your practice that will help you attract the type of patients you’d like to serve.

If you don’t sit down with a consultant before diving into a marketing plan, you may end up costing yourself money, Spiel said. Many dentists shy away from marketing because they tried it once or twice but felt like their efforts were a waste of time and money. But if dentists don’t get the result they’re after, it’s likely because they didn’t take the time to work with a professional and really think about the message they wanted to convey and how they wanted to convey it.

“It’s not complicated, but it does take time,” Spiel said. “It takes an investment in terms of the dentist working with that professional consultant to really drill down and get a keen sense of what their uniqueness is in the market place and then how they want to communicate that.”

And remember internal marketing is the foundation. If you believe in your work you shouldn’t be afraid to ask patients for a referral, Spiel said. Give your patients business cards and tell them you would love to have more patients like them in your practice. No matter what kind of external marketing plan you develop, don’t forget word of mouth is another great tool to help you grow your practice.

If you’re still not comfortable with this type of conversation, there are scripts you can use to help get you through it, Spiel said.

For a marketing plan to work, your staff has to be on board. Meeting with your staff regularly can help keep them excited about your marketing plan and up-to-date on the practice’s latest efforts.

Staff members are a huge part of internal marketing-from the way they greet patients to what they say to patients while they’re in the chair, Bailey said. The message should be consistent, and staff members are key to making that happen.

If staff members know their roles and perform them well, patients will be more comfortable. If patients are comfortable, they’re more likely to come back and to talk about how great your practice is to family and friends. It comes down to building trust and giving your patients an experience that makes them want to come back.

So you’ve decided to make that call and get started on your marketing plan-as soon as the economy gets a little better. Don’t use the economy as an excuse to put this off.

“This is the moment for proactive dental professionals to realize that while other guys are holding back, this is when you go out there and start to invest in marketing,” Spiel said. “But you don’t want to do the shot gun method. You have to have a clear plan and know who you are, what you offer, how to get your message out there effectively, and who you are marketing to. Every bit of market share you pick up now will pick up huge dividends once this recession starts to turn around.”

This is the time to have confidence in your skills and to target a marketing message to specific types of patients. Marketing isn’t dirty and you shouldn’t see it as selling yourself. It’s a way to let people know how great you are so they have the opportunity to benefit from your work.

“Don’t market dentistry-that’s not what you’re selling,” Bailey said. “You’re selling hope, health, confidence and/or beauty. That’s what your marketing efforts should be about.”

Marketing isn’t a bad word. The thought of it may make you feel uncomfortable or even a little anxious, but that doesn’t mean you should ignore what a good marketing plan can do for your practice. And while most of you already know you need to market your practice to survive, 54% of you said dental marketing is bad for the profession, according to a survey from The Wealthy Dentist.

Does marketing make you feel dirty?

Your patients are busy people. They don’t have time to sit in your waiting room, wondering when their name will be called. No good can come from annoying your 

with a long wait. In fact, it could lead them to the practice down the street.

To avoid this, director of consulting for 

 Kathy O'Donnell suggests timing procedures to be more accurate. Estimate average times and then literally time appointments with a stopwatch three to four times and use the averages. 

And never double book. Trying to squeeze in extra appointments will only lead to frustrated, aggravated patients thinking about everything else they need to do, and that likely will include finding a new dentist. 

Be on time.  Your patients are busy people. They don’t have time to sit in your waiting room, wondering when their name will be called. No good can come from annoying your patients with a long wait. In fact, it could lead them to the practice down the street.

Patient Tip of the Day

DUX Dental’s new translucent color blending temporary cement, ZONEfree, offers strength and esthetics. Here’s an inside look at the product and what dental professionals are saying about it.

You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste.

After you’ve spent all that time creating a beautiful provisional for your patient, you don’t want the cement you use to take away from the esthetics. This is a common problem with temporary cements, and one that the team at DUX Dental wanted to address with the company’s latest launch, ZONEfree. Dr. Scott Finlay, who’s among the more than 100 dentists, CDAs and EFDAs who evaluated the product before it was launched earlier this month, says the team has accomplished that.

“In advanced levels of comprehensive care utilizing indirect restorations, the provisional phase is undoubtedly the key to predictability,” Dr. Finlay said. “These prototypes provide diagnostic information and communication for both esthetics and functional requirements. With preparation designs, that are increasingly conservative, the limitation with provisional cements in the past was their opacity. This resulted in show through in the body of the restoration or at the cavosurfaces. The use of ZONEfree eliminates this esthetic compromise.”

The team at DUX has been working on this temporary cement for years, with everything really coming into place about 18 months ago, said Stacey Williams, marketing director for ZONEfree. That’s when they found the right partner for the all-important color blending nano fillers that allowed them to take the classic Zone cement, with its easy removal and clean up, to a new level of esthetics.

“Everyone can see the dental industry is moving toward esthetics,” Williams said. “People want things to look good, even a temporary. Patients want to walk out of the office smiling and to be able to look in the mirror and say ‘that looks fantastic.’ We knew we needed to address where the market was going and what patients want and need for esthetics, but we also knew it needed to be as easy to use as our other classic cements.”

ZONEfree has been on the market for just a few weeks now, but DPR recently had the opportunity to talk with dental professionals who evaluated ZONEfree about its benefits, from the improved esthetics to its easy clean up. Here’s what they had to say.

Just like Dr. Finlay, Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, CDD, and Clinical Director for Contemporary Product Solutions, is impressed by the cement’s esthetics. All too often she’s fabricated a beautiful temporary restoration only to have it ruined by the cement she has to put underneath. This cement is translucent instead of white or tooth-colored, so she doesn’t have to worry about a really white tooth shining through and compromising esthetics. Patients don’t like what Pace Brinker described as a “moon tooth,” and ZONEfree eliminates that.

The color blending nano fillers allow the cement to adjust to any adjacent surface, and even with thin provisionals, there won’t be bleed through or discoloration.

“The esthetics are far superior,” Dr. Finlay said. “Microleakage is minimized, thereby reducing post-operative sensitivity and staining.”

ZONEfree is a zinc oxide non-eugenol temporary cement, Williams said, and that means it’s easy to use and to clean up.
	You can peel it away in one piece, 

 said, and be confident that it’s all gone. With some cements you can’t be sure you’ve removed it all, and if you don’t it could end up under your patient’s gums, causing tissue irritation.

“It’s going to be easier on your patients’ mouths because you’re not scraping away or having to search out where the left over cement is,” Williams said. “The fact that it’s not crystal clear is a benefit. Because it’s translucent you’re still getting the esthetic benefit, and you can see where the cement is and where you need to remove it. There’s no poking and prodding going on.”

Even though it’s easy to remove and to clean up, the cement is still strong and can be used in both the posterior and the anterior, Pace Brinker said. It’s strong enough to keep the restoration in place, but it won’t pull out the build ups when you remove the restoration in two or three weeks.

“Some dentists will be worried it may have resin or may have something in it that can pull out those build ups, and assume it’s similar to a bonding resin,” she said. “To this day the majority of restorations we’ve done with this cement are posterior and we’ve not pulled out a build up yet. No teeth have broken underneath and no build ups have come out, and that’s pretty good after 40 restorations.”

Not only is it easy to clean up, it’s also easy to dispense, Dr. Allan Mohr said, and with this cement his patients don’t experience post-op sensitivity.

Because the cement is non-eugenol, you don’t have to worry about problems bonding the final restoration later. It won’t crack acrylic. With a resin-based cement, if there’s cement left over that sticks to the build up, it creates a problem when it’s time to bond the final restoration. ZONEfree actually enhances your ability to get the best bond at delivery, Dr. Finlay said.

There are many reasons Pace Brinker and Drs. Finlay and Mohr will continue to use this new cement, from its esthetics to its durability to its easy clean up. These are all the reasons they think you might want to give it a try as well.

“My experience has been phenomenal,” Dr. Mohr said. “It’s my go to cement. We can’t get enough of it.”

DUX Dental’s new translucent color blending temporary cement, ZONEfree, offers strength and esthetics. Here’s a an inside look at the product and what dental professionals are saying about it. You don’t want all your hard work to go to waste.

Inside Look: Temporaries that feel permanent

Appearance Matters. Patients will judge your practice based on how you and your team members dress. If you show up to work wearing something inappropriate for the operatory, they’ll notice and they’ll talk to their friends and family about that dishevelled dentist or that hygienist with the thong showing through her uniform.

Not the image you want? Then put together a dress code and follow it, image expert 

 these policies before they accept the job, and make sure the dress code outlines clothing and personal care expectations. Include photos to show employees the best way to wear their uniforms.

Your patients are your practice. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients. 

Friday's Patient Tip

It’s bound to happen. At some point in your career, you just stop feeling the passion you once had for dentistry. You find yourself in a rut, and just going through the motions of your day to day.

While this is common, no matter what your career, it doesn’t have to become your normal. There are ways to get that passion back, to renew your energy and your enthusiasm for the work you do.

 Dentistry can’t be the only thing you do; you have to make time for family, friends and those non work-related activities you enjoy, said Penny Reed Limoli, owner of the 

. As a small business owner, it’s easy to let work take over your life, which only leads to stress and burnout. Make time to get the rest you need, to exercise and to just have some fun. You have to remember that while practice productivity and profit are important, they’re not everything.
	
“How can anyone keep passion alive in a business if the only focus is profitability?,” Limoli said. “There has to be more than being the leanest operation. There has to be more to it than the numbers. From what I have seen the dentists who have some sense of balance are the most successful, and that doesn’t just happen. They choose to have it and made difficult decisions about what they would and wouldn’t do to make that happen.”

Take the time to sit down and write out your dream list (both personally and professionally) and your vision for your practice, said Kim Brozovich, a coach for 

. Write down everything you want and what you feel is keeping you from getting there.
	
“A lot of times dentists get frustrated about the business side of practicing,” Brozovich said. “When you write out a vision, ask yourself if you’re doing the dentistry you’ve always wanted to do. For example, if you want to do cosmetics but you’re treating a lot of families and more kids than you used to and that’s stressful, then we need to figure out how to reduce that. After you do a vision worksheet and have what you want on paper it makes it more tangible. The stress reduces almost immediately for doctors who do this because now they feel like they’re in the beginning of a plan.”
	


All too often, dentists tolerate behaviors from their team members that they shouldn’t. If you have team members who are always late and it stresses you out, tell them that. Remind them the importance of getting to work on time, for the practice and for the patients, and make sure they understand there are consequences if it continues. Make it known how you want your practice to run.
	
“Because dentists run a small business, sometimes they tread lightly on the balance between being the boss and having a relationship with the team,” Limoli said. “They have to have a clear standard and make sure those expectations are known to the team. And they need to be pretty high, yet reasonable.”

Make sure you’re communicating on a regular basis through team meetings, Brozovich said. Keep your team members up to date on new technologies you plan to purchase or systems you’d like to implement, and ask them for their opinions. Update them on practice goals and how the team is doing to meet those goals. Keep them involved and excited about where the practice is headed.

 You have to surround yourself with people who share your vision for the practice. If you don’t, they won’t have the right attitude about what you’re trying to do, and that will only bring you down.
	
“Who you hire is more important than how you manage,” Limoli said. “If you want to be excited about your practice, you need a team of people who have a passion about what it is you’re doing. If you’re the only one exited about being there, that’s going to be hard.”
	
And even if you do have the right people, if you’re feeling blah that can trickle down to the team, Brozovich said. Involve them in goal setting and make it a fun experience for both you and your team members. Keep a vision board or poster to remind everyone of your shared goals, and celebrate together when you reach those goals. This can help re-energize everyone in the practice. 

If you don’t make a schedule and stick to it, it’s too easy to stay late every night finishing up paperwork, Limoli said. Schedule your patient hours four days a week, and then use the fifth day to do paperwork. This not only helps reduce stress, it reduces wear and tear on your body. 
	
If you already have a work schedule, take a look at it. If you need to change your hours around or reduce them to relieve some stress, then do it.
	


Strive to achieve your goals, but be thankful for what you have. Reach out to others who are less fortunate than you, maybe by offering a local family the dental care they need for free, or volunteering at a local clinic for low-income patients.
	
“There’s just something about helping others just for the sake of helping that can really help you refocus on what’s important,” Limoli said.

 Remember, if you’re feeling run down your team will pick up on that, and so will your patients. They may not know exactly what the problem is, but patients will notice if you or a team member is distracted or doesn’t really want to be there, Brozovich said. Patients will likely end up feeling uncomfortable, and some may even take it personally. To keep your patients happy and wanting to come back to you for their dental care, you have to have that confidence and enthusiasm that lets them know they’ve picked the right place. You have to have that balance in your life.
	
“The dentists who generate the highest net income are not necessarily my happiest clients,” Limoli said. “Real happiness doesn’t come from making the most money but from making a good living and also having time to spend with family or people who are important to you, and doing the things you really love.”

It’s bound to happen. At some point in your career, you just stop feeling the passion you once had for dentistry. You find yourself in a rut, and just going through the motions of your day to day. While this is common, no matter what your career, it doesn’t have to become your normal. There are ways to get that passion back, to renew your energy and your enthusiasm for the work you do. Here’s how:

Dentists who don’t care

Today's Patient Tip: Show Some Enthusiasm

Want to keep your patients happy and wanting to come back to you for their dental care? Don’t let them see you down.? 

If you’re unhappy and you show it, they’re likely going to feel uncomfortable and may even take your lack of luster personally, said Penny Reed Limoli, owner of the 

You have to show them that you’re a confident, energetic dentist who’s happy to take care of their dental health. That’s how you get patients enthusiastic about their care and interested in what you’re doing at your practice.

Your patients are your practice. Without them, where would you be? You have to know the best ways to attract them to your practice, get them to accept treatment and make them happy, life-long patients. That’s where we can help. Check back regularly for tips on how to keep your patients happy, healthy and loyal.  

You’ve been thinking about adding new technologies to your practice, maybe a laser or chairside CAD/CAM, but you just haven’t made the move. You like the idea of it, but you’re just not sure it’s worth the investment.

Here’s some incentive. Technology not only makes your job easier and your team members more enthusiastic about what they do, it’s attractive to patients who are looking for a new dental home. Many of the latest advancements in dental technology not only save you time, they save your patients time as well. That alone is a huge draw.

Still not convinced? Here’s a breakdown of the technologies that are most attractive to patients and why adding them to your practice will give you a competitive advantage over other dentists in your area.

What to do when patients ask, "Not up-to-date yet?"

Don’t get defensive when your patients ask you about it, said Penny Reed Limoli, owner of the 

. If you’ve decided a certain technology isn’t for you or you just haven’t been able to make the investment yet, explain that to patients when they ask. Let them know you don’t think that technology is as effective as what you currently use and explain to them why. If the technology they’re interested in is on your wish list, explain to them you plan to add it to your list of tools some time soon. Either way, thank them for asking and for letting you know what they’d like to see in the practice.

Your patients are busy people, and they certainly don’t want to spend time driving back and forth to your office if they don’t have to, 

 President Thomas Terronez said. Having the ability to offer crowns same-day is huge. It makes your practice more efficient and it makes your patients happy. If someone looking for a new dental home finds out you have this option, whether its through word of mouth or your marketing efforts, you’ve just given him or her one more reason to give your practice a call.
	
	

Again, it comes back to time. Patients don’t want to schedule multiple dental visits into their calendar, and they certainly don’t want to spend hours in your office when they do come in. That’s one of the reasons digital x-rays are so attractive to patients, Terronez said. Digital x-rays help get patients in and out faster, which not only makes your current patients happy, it draws new patients and gives you more time in your day to see those new patients.

Cone beam technology offers the same time-saving benefits, and having it in your office means patients won’t have to go somewhere else to get their diagnostics done, Limoli said. If they have to fit another appointment at another office into their schedule, they may not do it. That means they’re less likely to proceed with treatment they need.

Time isn’t the only factor people take into consideration when choosing a new dental home. If they know they need periodontal surgery, they’re going to be worried about pain and healing time, Limoli said. Lasers help ease some of those fears. With a laser many procedures take less time and result in less bleeding, less discomfort and shorter healing times.
	
	

Technology doesn’t always have to be about the clinical procedures. Sometimes it’s about keeping the patient’s mind off what can be a stressful situation, Terronez said. Video games in the operatory or waiting areas are a great way to entertain children, while iPads can keep both children and adults occupied.

Adding these types of entertainment doesn’t cost much money, but can be a huge practice booster, Terronez said. Happy patients talk, so little Johnny will be sure to tell all his friends that he got to play with an iPad while the hygienist cleaned his teeth. And while it’s important to market any technology you add to your practice, word of mouth still is the best way to draw new patients to your office.

“There are a variety of things you can do that focus on entertaining patients while they’re waiting to get in the room or while they’re in the room,” Terronez said. “If you can lighten up the focus on the actual dental work, that seems to be successful in drawing patients.”

Yes, all these technologies are attractive to potential patients, but they’re not likely to leave their current dental home unless they’re unhappy, Limoli said. But for those who are looking, why not give them reasons to consider joining your patient list?

Why do patients leave? Frustration with wait times could play into such a decision, and not keeping up-to-date on technology could be the reason the practice is falling behind. Procedures that cost the patient a lot of discomfort and a lot of time off work also may give them reason to surf the Internet in search of a new practice. And sure, some patients have been with a practice for years and will stick with it no matter what. But if you’re talking about patients who are 40 and younger, Terronez said they tend to be less loyal and are more likely to leave for a practice that better fits their needs. This is the group to target in your marketing efforts.

While technology is important, remember it’s not the only thing that matters to patients, Limoli said. It doesn’t replace the relationship. You may have more technology than any other clinician in your area, but if you don’t take the time to talk to your patients and build and nurture that relationship, you better believe they’ll be looking for a new dental home. Not feeling appreciated, like you see them as a chart rather than a person, is another big reason patients decide to leave.

“It (technology) is important but it’s not more important than connecting with the patient, Limoli said. “Introverted doctors may think, ‘If I can just buy this new widget it will dramatically change my practice.’ But if don’t have great communication with your patients, it won’t have the impact you thought it would.”