Book More Dentals with These 4 Expert Tips

Increasing the number of dental appointments your practice secures can transform your business and boost patient outcomes. To navigate this competitive landscape, understanding the right strategies to attract and retain clients is paramount. This guide offers four expert-backed tips designed to help dental offices not only book more appointments but also enhance the quality of care they provide. Each suggestion draws on the latest industry insights and proven marketing tactics to ensure your practice stands out in a crowded market. Whether you're looking to refine your online presence, optimize patient communication, or harness the power of referrals, these actionable steps will steer your practice towards noticeable growth and heightened patient satisfaction.

To effectively book more dental appointments, it’s widely understood within the veterinary community that dental disease is a significant and prevalent issue in adult dogs and cats. Despite this, many pet owners still neglect oral health care. Emphasizing the importance of dental care not only contributes to the well-being and happiness of pets but also enhances your practice's profitability. If improving dental booking rates is a goal, consider these four practical strategies to encourage clients to commit to regular dental check-ups.

Don’t Just Tell. Show

As an experienced vet, you know the difference between a healthy mouth and a diseased one, but you should never just assume your clients know the same. If you notice oral health concerns, like plaque buildup or inflamed gums, don’t just talk about it with the pet owner. Show them. Explain what it is you’re seeing and, more importantly, why it concerns you.

And be detailed. For example, “See how Samson’s teeth are yellowed? This could be a sign of gingivitis, which could cause a lot of other health problems for him if we don’t it under control. To find out for sure what’s going on, we really need to look below the gum line.” That’s far more impactful and convincing than saying something like, “You really should consider a dental exam.”

Showing and telling your clients in greater detail also opens the door for questions and allows you to start a dialogue that can help strengthen your connection.

Communicate Your Proposed Treatment Plan

Once you’ve fully explained and demonstrated the need for dental care, the next step is going over the estimate. This is something most vets dread, because it can cause sticker shock and leave clients backpedaling. To prevent this, change the perspective. For example, rather than “estimate,” use the term “treatment plan.” This takes the focus off the cost and places it on the medical care.

To book more dental appointments effectively, start by sitting your client down to thoroughly discuss your proposed plan of action, step-by-step. Being detailed in your explanation helps secure the client's approval. For instance, you could say, “First, we’ll sedate Samson using an anesthetic induction. This step is vital for ensuring his safety and comfort during the procedure.” This approach not only demonstrates professionalism but also builds trust by clarifying the importance of each step in the dental care process.

Open the floor for questions and take your time answering them patiently. Understand that while dental procedures are an everyday occurrence for you, they can be mysterious and therefore stressful for a pet owner.

Bonus Tip: Try to allow a little bit of wiggle room in your treatment plan for ancillary charges, such as post-op medications. Having to surprise your client with an additional $150 fee at discharge will not be a positive experience for either party.

Get the Whole Team Onboard

You’ve got an awesome team running your practice. Put them to use! Train and instruct your vet techs and assistants to perform dental assessments. Have them assist with educating clients on how to brush their pets’ teeth at home and recommend dental care products. Doing this empowers your staff while also reinforcing to clients the consistent message of the importance of ongoing dental care.

Closing the loop with a forward-booking policy significantly enhances compliance with dental care. As the technician and/or assistant evaluates the patient’s teeth and gums, the DVM confirms the assessment, suggests a tailored treatment plan, and the receptionist finalizes the interaction by encouraging the client to book more dental appointments at checkout. This proactive approach is far more effective than attempting to schedule follow-up care retroactively.

Make It an Internal Priority

You’d be surprised at how many practices treat dental care as an afterthought. Even if it’s on your radar, simply instructing your team to focus on dentistry at the next staff meeting isn’t going to move the needle on dental compliance.

As the practice owner or practice manager, it’s up to you to make sure your team is armed with everything they need to make dental care a priority in your practice. If that means internal training, external continuing education, role-playing exercises or something else, so be it. Having a highly skilled, confident and empowered staff will do wonders for getting clients to feel good about investing in dental care.

To effectively book more dental appointments, integrate specific objectives into your practice's growth strategy. Set SMART goals that not only focus on training but also on tangible outcomes like increasing your monthly dental services. For instance, if your baseline is 5 dental procedures per month, aim to elevate this to 10 by a designated date. This target supports your broader practice vision, which should include proactive promotion of dental health by your team. By fostering a culture that prioritizes dental care, you'll witness significant advancements in both patient outcomes and business growth.

Conclusion

Dentistry is a segment of care that is necessary, yet surprisingly neglected by many in the industry. By following the steps above, you can take advantage of this great opportunity to improve patient care and boost your bottom line at the same time.

Book More Dental Appointments in 2024

What are effective strategies for presenting a treatment plan that minimizes client concerns about costs?

To effectively present a treatment plan that minimizes cost concerns, it's beneficial to shift the focus from price to value and overall health outcomes. Start by thoroughly explaining the condition and necessity of each step in the treatment, supported by visual aids or examples to illustrate the potential risks of untreated issues. Offer a clearly outlined plan that emphasizes medical benefits rather than costs. Encourage open dialogue, allowing clients to ask questions and feel involved in the decision-making process, which can alleviate worries and foster trust in the recommended care.

How can veterinary practices better integrate dental care into their daily operations to avoid treating it as an afterthought?

Veterinary practices can improve the integration of dental care into daily operations by adopting a proactive approach that involves the entire team. Training staff to conduct dental assessments and educate clients enhances consistency in messaging the importance of oral health. By framing cost discussions as 'treatment plans,' the focus shifts from expense to care quality, fostering better acceptance. Setting SMART goals for dental services encourages the staff to prioritize dental health, ensuring it is not merely an adjunct but a central component of overall pet care.

How can creating a forward-booking policy at a veterinary practice improve compliance with recommended dental care?

Creating a forward-booking policy at a veterinary practice systematically schedules future dental appointments at the time of current visits. This proactive approach ensures regular dental assessments and treatments, fostering routine care. As a result, it mitigates the risk of dental diseases developing into more severe conditions, which can often go unnoticed by pet owners. Regularly scheduled appointments also familiarize pet owners with the importance of ongoing dental care, ultimately enhancing compliance and improving the overall health of pets.

What challenges might veterinarians face when trying to make dental care a priority in their practice, and how can these be overcome?

Veterinarians often struggle with making dental care a priority due to pet owners' lack of awareness and resistance to perceived high costs. To address this, vets can enhance client education by visually demonstrating oral health issues during consultations and discussing the long-term health implications. Reframing cost conversations by presenting detailed treatment plans rather than just estimates can also mitigate sticker shock. Additionally, empowering the entire clinic staff to engage in dental assessments and discussions helps reinforce the message, making dental care a routine part of health discussions rather than an optional extra.

What are effective ways to measure the success of dental care initiatives within a veterinary practice?

Effective ways to measure the success of dental care initiatives within a veterinary practice include tracking quantitative metrics like the number of dental procedures performed monthly against set targets. Additionally, assessing client compliance rates through follow-up bookings and client feedback can provide qualitative insights. Practices should also evaluate the impact of staff training programs on these metrics. Regularly reviewing these data points helps ensure that dental care remains a focal point, contributing to improved patient health outcomes and increased revenue.

For more practice management tips, tricks, and expert advice, bookmark the DVMelite blog and check back often for fresh content.