Dental Practices are not Recession-proof

Contrary to popular belief, Dental Practices are not recession-proof.

With a new Budget out today, and April looming, there is no doubt that individuals are going to start to notice the tightening of the economic grip on a very personal level. This is the time when businesses, including dental practices, notice that the phone starts to ring a little less.

Instead of a 6 monthly check-up, patients will think they can stretch this out to 12 or 24 months. I know myself, as I have now delayed an optician's appointment for nigh on 18 months, as the cost of new contact lens and spectacles is something that I would rather not consider!

However, we all know that these delays are often a false economy. Lawrence Spindel, in his Dental Blog (http://lspindelnycdds.blogspot.com/2008/09/are-dentists-recession-proof.html), identifies that a 6-month check up would identify problems before they escalate. Waiting until you get a chronic toothache, and then consequently need root canal work or an extraction, ends up costing the patient more in the end.

This is where marketing comes in.

Marketing does not need to cost the earth, but informing your patients of the pitfalls of treatment delays in straitened times will be of benefit to both the patient and your practice.

How do you do that?

• Emphasise, via your website, the importance and cost-effectiveness of regular check-ups;
• Use email to remind patients of the risks involved in delaying check-ups;
• If you have screens in your waiting room, show the effects of delaying treatment and prompt the patient to make their next appointment there and then.

Use this opportunity to strengthen the relationship that exists between you and your patients. Other dental practices will be only too keen to welcome patients whose loyalty may be wavering, or who may be tempted to defect by discounted prices and incentives.

Argent Ram Media offers specialist products and services to help dental practices strengthen patient loyalty, inform and educate patients and maximise patient spend-per-head.

• Website Design and Development for Dental Practices;
• Waiting Room screens;
• Dental Treatment Video Animations;
• Screen Content;
• Design for Print;
• Logos and Branding;
• Video Production

For further information, please call Lorraine Baker on 01580 761000 or email lorraine@argentrammedia.com