Doctors, you are seeing the wave building steadily as corporate dentistry takes a bigger bite out of the 8 billion dollars a year that consumers spend on dentistry. I see it here in Southern California, and while it may take longer in rural areas, it is coming. As if I didn't know this enough already, I had a new patient last month who is the manager of a nearby Wal-Mart. During the initial interview he mentioned that his previous dentist had been INSIDE his store as part of a pilot project by Wal-Mart to jump into our market. This is a pattern. Large corporations and investor groups have identified dentistry as "easy pickings" because it is a "mom and pop" industry with significant cash flow. Translation: To them, we're amateurs, and with their professional management experience they can make a killing.

There is good news for private practice owners, however. Corporate dentistry cannot deliver the one thing that WE can. And that is Trust. Trust is given to the doctor that diagnoses and presents treatment based solely on what is in the patient's best interest. Corporate dentistry has its place and the delivery advantages that come with size. But they are also primarily profit driven-and believe me, patients sense that.
So, it comes down to this: Relationship-based Dentistry (I call it Trust-based dentistry) vs. Corporate Dentistry.

I have noticed a remarkable thing in my practice the last few years. Patient after patient coming in for the initial NP interview who first have to "unload" their frustration and anger over being worked over in corporate dentistry "sales" cycle They are victims of up-selling, overselling, over-treating, and fear-driven treatment "presentations". And yes, this can and does occur in private practices too. The point is not to do this. It puts you in the same category as the corporate offices, and patients will rightly view you as dental commodity. A commodity is something that is the same, at least to the consumer no matter where it is purchased; like gasoline or water or milk. The purpose of this blog series is to pass on to doctors and office managers the key things that they will need to know and do, to rise above the coming surge of corporate dentistry.

The first thing that absolutely must be done is that the doctor, yes the doctor must be extremely knowledgeable, even expert, in marketing. Do not abdicate this to someone else. The rule with certain key functions of your practice is: "Delegate but DON'TAbdicate" Just as in key financial, legal, and personnel matters, you doctor, will certainly need to use professionals in marketing. BUT YOU NEED TO BE KNOWLEDGABLE ENOUGH TO DIRECT AND SUPERVISE THEM . That is particularly true of new patient acquisition.
There are two reasons for this:

Pro-Craft would like to thank Dr. Dave Cutts for his first contribution to our newsletter. Dr. Cutts is a practicing dentist in Temecula California and has been active as a speaker and mentor for regional dental study clubs for many years. Dr. Cutts is one of a handful of dentists with extensive training and experience in complete mouth reconstruction which combines highly advanced cosmetic, denture, and surgical/implant skills. Dr. Cutts is also active in coaching sports, and sponsors social programs that instill moral values in children. This is the first in a series of articles from Dr. Cutts!

Note: You may contact Dr Cutts directly with any questions at: dave@drcutts.com