26 Ways to Grow Your Dental Practice

If you’re in a position to expand your dental practice, it’s important that you neither rush the decision, nor the process.

As exciting an endeavor as practice-expansion may be, a lot of meticulous planning is required, coupled with some strategic decision-making. Whether your aim is to increase the treatments and services you currently offer, or open up a clinic in another town, your approach to growth must always be in alignment with your vision as a dental professional, and your lifestyle.

If you’re planning a practice expansion, here are some strategies recommended by dental practice accountants, that will help you scale effectively:

Establishing what growth means to you

 Firstly, you must think long and hard about what you want to achieve from expanding your practice. Are you hoping to create a clinic that offers more personalized services, or does your vision involve multiple clinics, in multiple locations?

By defining your growth goals at the beginning of the process, you can keep your decisions focused and sustainable.

Enhancing your existing practice

 If expansion for you looks like a new and improved practice right where it stands, these strategies could be helpful:

  • Enhance scheduling systems – efficiency can often be improved upon just be enhancing your existing appointment management system.
  • Increase your team – with the hiring of associate dentists or an extra hygienist, you can handle more patients.
  • Upgrade technology – workflows can be streamlined and the patient experience improved upon with an investment in the latest software and dental tools.
  • Extend office hours – just by opening for a few hours extra each week (maybe at the weekend or in evenings), you can attract more patients without needing to expand your operations.

 Opening up in a new location

 While this approach can widen your reach, such an expansion needs a lot of careful planning:

  • Market research – look for a location in which there are few competitors (if any) and plenty of potential patients.
  • Operational stability – before you even think about opening another practice, your first clinic must be running smoothly.
  • Leadership development – to ensure that the same high standard of care is offered to patients in all locations, your teams must be properly trained and empowered.

 Offering specialized services

 Not all dentists opt for opening another practice in another location, some choose to scale by offering patients a selection of specialized services, such as:

  • Cosmetic dentistry – from veneers to teeth whitening, attract higher-end patients with dental makeovers.
  • Clear aligners and orthodontics – offering these orthodontic services can help to boost revenue and enhance patient retention rates.
  • Sleep disorders – set your practice apart from your competitors by offering treatment to address sleep disorders, like sleep apnea.
  • Implants – this service is always in high demand and can be a significant profit-booster

 Pitfalls to avoid when scaling your dental practice

 There are a number of pitfalls dentists may find themselves exposed to, no matter what their growth journey looks like, and these can include:

  • Growth that’s too fast – a practice can quickly become inefficient if proper systems aren’t put into place from the get-go.
  • Neglecting team strength – sustainable success can only be achieved if a practice is run by a cohesive, contented team.
  • Poor financial planning – refusing to work with dental office accounting experts, or failing to heed their advice, can lead to financial burnout when expanding.
  • A compromised patient experience – no matter how you choose to grow your practice, it should never come at the expense of good quality patient care.

Your dental practice is a business, and while expansion can bring many rewards, it’s essential that as the practice owner, you adopt a strategic approach to growth that will set you up for long-term success.