A lot of people are terrified of seeing the dentist. But if you have a dental practice, this worry is something you have to live with every day. If you can help your patients deal with dental phobia, you’re in great shape since the business will just be booming.
However, many people struggle against this fear of dentists, and the problem worsens. This article will help your dental practice overcome its patients’ fears by giving them five ways they can grow their business.
Let’s begin with the biggest problem. Dental phobia is a massive problem for dental practices, making them struggle to make any money. Dentists can practice various ways to overcome this problem and grow their businesses. I’ll explain each of these five ways so that you can use them in your practice.
1. Make patients comfortable
Making patients comfortable inside the dentist’s office is a great way to grow your practice. Try not to frighten new patients. Don’t show them pictures of dentists drilling into somebody’s jaw unless they insist on seeing it!
Furthermore, you can do this by using the patient’s first name, talking to them like a friend instead of a patient, and making the environment seem less clinical than it usually is.
To make patients feel more comfortable, you should allow them to bring some form of entertainment. Maybe a book or something else along those lines. It would help if you also kept the noise level at the lowest possible, so they could hear your voice and not the other people in the waiting room.
Another way to make patients more comfortable is to inform them ahead of time that you’ll give them a cleaning or checkup. If you’ve never done so before, this will take the pressure off of them, and they’ll be able to relax.
2. Post Frequently on Social Media
In order to grow your dental practice, you need to blog and use social media effectively. It would be best if you wrote articles that are beneficial or interesting. Make sure your posts are educational and helpful to your patients because they might just read them and then come back later when they have more free time.
You should also post pictures of your work. If your patients feel comfortable with you and like you, they’ll also be glad to see your work. It can help grow your practice by showing off what you’re capable of doing. The more photos of your career you share, the better it will be for growing your business.
Daily posting is recommended, but don’t make it too frequent or the patient will stop reading it. You should also make sure you allow comments on your social media post and do your best to answer the questions people ask.
Related: The Various Types Of Dental Emergencies
3 Have TV screens in the waiting room
To make your office seem more modern and up to date, you should think about buying some TV screens for your waiting room. It doesn’t have to be a big flat screen, but it should be at least 20 inches.
Patients will see these TVs as soon as they walk into the office, making them feel like they’re not sitting in an old-fashioned dental office. Some people will come straight to your office, but others will have a look at it first.
If they see these TVs and decorations, they’ll know you’re a modern practice and feel more comfortable with that. It can help them relax during the process and maybe even end up liking coming to see you once in a while. The more relaxed patients will be during their appointment; the better work you’ll be able to do for them.
4. Develop Your Referral Sources
A referral program is a simple and easy way to increase your number of repeat customers. It doesn’t cost you much to start it, you probably have your current logo and information on file, and it only takes about an hour each month to create an email campaign.
Sharing information about your practice with other local dental professionals can be a good referral program for dentists. You can immediately ask your clients for recommendations, but it is usually more effective to focus on developing “referral sources.” A referral source is a relationship you have established with someone who knows multiple people in your target market.
For example, a referral source could be an accountant familiar with many small business owners in your town. When he meets someone new coming through his door, he might recommend that they come to see you if he likes them.
5. Special discounts, holiday specials, and treats
Offering something unique can be a great way to get your patients in the door and make them feel more comfortable. What you do is run a specially crafted offer for a limited time. For example, you could have a special promotion where every patient gets X-rays, cleaning, and checkups for $100 instead of $200.
It will make patients want to come in for their appointment because they know it will be cheaper than usual. The best part is that they’ll get the same service they usually would and you’ll be able to make money. You can do something similar with your dental work in general.
Maybe give free root canals or fillings every day of the week during special promotions. There is no requirement that it be something as drastic as this, but it should be something that will make your patients feel like they’re getting a good deal.
Additionally, it must be comfortable for them so they can complete the work without concern for the associated costs. It could be a special deal for holidays or something else, or it could simply be a discount which will make it cheaper to come in on certain days of the week.
You can also try giving out free stickers and pens or maybe even a free toothbrush if you have already given one to your patients and it’s not enough for them.
Giving out these offers will help patients feel more comfortable and not worry about what you will charge them for their work. You can even offer freebies as part of your special promotion.
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Bottom line
Some of these things can be a bit simpler to do than others, but they’re all going to make your patients feel much more comfortable when they come in. All of these things will help make your patients feel better, and you’ll be able to build a stronger relationship with them so they’ll come back again. It could lead to more referrals and growing your practice overall.
