sign up to receive emails from thenew dentist

    • Home
    • Featured Profiles
    • Clinical
    • Business
    • Photography
    • Culture
    • The Best

    Sign up to receive emails from thenew.dentist

    content

    You have Successfully Subscribed!

    • Home
    • Featured Profiles
    • Clinical
    • Business
    • Photography
    • Culture
    • The Best
    Image
    “In times of a recession, patients often turn down high-end treatment and put off preventative care. This leads to a higher volume of emergency needs, which can last for months or years after a recession (or shutdown).”
     
    Surviving and Thriving After COVID Shutdowns
    By Dr. Travis Campbell

    Share this Post

    This has been an interesting and different year, to say the least, and it’s been difficult for me to hear the outcry of frustration and fear from my colleagues. While some dentists have bounced back from the COVID-19 shutdown, many are looking at closing or selling their practices. Our office had its share of frustrations from the shutdown as well, but, thankfully, we have been able to weather the storm. We are even bringing in another dentist to help.

    I want to share the No. 1 tactic that has kept us alive and thriving this year. It’s a tactic borrowed from prior experience, and it also can help new offices gain traction and grow quickly. That tactic is treating more emergencies.

    Embracing Emergency Patients

    I have talked about this topic for years. We love emergency patients, but I frequently hear about the concerns other offices have with them. A fair number of offices dismiss emergency patients if they don’t schedule comprehensive exams and treatment. Specific problems cited range from scheduling issues, to timing, to efficiency, to not hitting goals, as well as a general feeling that they might not be “good” patients.

    Let’s talk about why we love emergency patients in my office and how embracing them is an effective strategy for practice growth, now more than ever.

    It Shows Compassion

    Most of us chose to work in dentistry to help people. There is nothing more gratifying than helping someone alleviate a physically painful situation.

    You Have Room in Your Schedule

    Emergency appointments usually require a minimal amount of time. These patients will happily wait if they know you’re “fitting them in.” Being able to get them in today means more to them than having to wait 30 minutes when they arrive. We schedule emergency patients for 1 hour on an overflow column, so it does not detract from our normal schedule.

    The Financial Benefits

    Emergency patients are more likely to have their wallet open saying “take this, and fix me now, please.” Most emergency treatment is on the high dollar, low overhead spectrum. This includes extractions, root canals and crowns. And treatment doesn’t require your higher overhead hygienist.

    You’ll Earn Their Loyalty

    Emergency patients are often very loyal. This may sound odd because many of these patients only come in once every two to three years. However, if you ask them who “their dentist” is, you most often will get an extraordinarily strong “DR. X!” When you help patients in their time of need, it creates a wealth of loyalty. They may only see you every few years, but they will ONLY see YOU.

    You’ll Attract New Patients, Especially If You’re Marketing

    This year alone, dozens of new patients have returned for additional treatment because I saw them when their “dentist for years” could or would not get them in for an urgent situation. Our marketing helps attract these patients. Often, dentists are less likely to advertise for emergency care, which means marketing costs are lower and more effective for those who do.

    In times of a recession, patients often turn down high-end treatment and put off preventative care. This leads to a higher volume of emergency needs, which can last for months or years after a recession (or shutdown). We are already seeing far more SRP, extract/graft, and root canal treatments than ever.  This is likely to continue.

    The one consistent philosophy we’ve had in our office since we built the practice, and which we highlight on almost all our marketing pieces, is this:

    “Call by noon, be seen today.”

    We may or may not be able to actually complete a treatment same day (about 75% of the time we do), but we can always do something small and quick to help the patient feel better in less than 20 minutes (antibiotics, extraction, remove a tooth nerve, or adjust a sharp edge).

    Addressing A Common Concern

    The main concern offices talk about, the elephant in the room, is the reality that emergency patients often do not have a lot of money set aside for dentistry. Therefore, we always provide multiple options for financial arrangements.

    Now, we are also smart about this; we do not extend non-guaranteed money to new patients. But there are plenty of ways patients can finance their treatment and ensure the office gets paid regardless, including third-party up-front financing like CareCredit, or over time guaranteed financing such as Varidi. You could even have patients begin layaway payments and schedule their dental work once they have enough saved.

    Worst case scenario is you find a few patients who literally have zero funds, and you agree to complete a few charity extractions. The personal and team benefits from helping patients during a time of critical need can be highly rewarding and heart-warming. For me, this is the best reminder of why I got into dentistry in the first place!

    A Win/Win

    If you are feeling any pinch from 2020 and would like to both help your community and grow your practice, I highly suggest you start implementing ways to capture and treat more patients in urgent need of dentistry.

    About the Author

    Dr. Travis Campbell is a full-time practicing dentist. He started his practice from scratch after graduating from Baylor College of Dentistry in 2009 and has grown his single-dentist practice to be in the top 1% in the country. Dr. Campbell has become well known for his knowledge/experience in dental business management and efficiency, and especially on dental insurance. He is an author, speaker, contributor to various online dental communities and a dental coach/consultant. His book on dental office management was released in 2019, and another dental insurance training textbook is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021.

    Image
    Follow us

    You have Successfully Subscribed!

    Dental Insurance Guy
    Business

    Why Do We Deal with Insurance?

    Dr. Travis Campbell

    Are you ready to significantly reduce your dental insurance frustrations?  Would you like to achieve higher reimbursements, fewer denials, and happier patients?...

    Read More →
    Clinical

    Think Like an Endodontist and “ReThink” Your Approach to Endodontics

    William J. Nudera, DDS, MS

    NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics, is the first of its kind resource that uses easy-to-follow systems designed to simplify the complex process of endodontic diagnosis and case selection. The guide leads you through a series of well-organized,...

    Read More →
    Culture

    For The Love Of The Game: Dr. Jeff Gray, Espire Dental, San Diego

    Dr. Gray has had an amazing career that’s included forming a foundation that’s raised millions for children’s charities and partnering with one of his musical heroes, Garth Brooks, on another—and it all ties back to his love for baseball....

    Read More →
    Business

    GPs & Specialists: Strengthen Your Relationship

    Dr. Travis Campbell

    The relationship between a specialist and GP can be amazingly positive or incredibly tense depending on how it is managed and the communication between parties. Communication is a two-way street, and both sides can and do fail....

    Read More →
    March 7, 2022

    Extreme Hobby: Competitive Kayaking With Dr. Istvan Urban

    Culture

    Dr. Urban’s love of nature and adventure have kept him kayaking since he was 11 years old....

    No comment0
    Business

    Is Dentistry’s Holy Trinity Enough?

    Dr. Robert Martino

    “If you brush, floss and come see us twice a year everything is going to be alright” is a dental sin. You may be a non-believer, but statistics prove me right. 47.2% of all adults have some form of periodontal disease....

    Read More →
    February 3, 2022

    Burnout in Dentistry: Real or Fiction?

    Culture

    Do you ever find yourself coming home exhausted, both mentally and physically? Have you ever wished it was Friday, only to realize that you only just finished Monday? Do you have multiple days where you are anxious or just don’t want...

    No comment0
    Profile

    Dr. Maria Lopez Howell, P-I Brånemark Award for Lifetime Achievement Recipient

    Though it wasn’t always easy, Dr. Maria Lopez Howell has achieved many firsts as a woman dentist throughout her career—paving the way for other women to enjoy rewarding careers in the profession....

    Read More →
    The Best

    Best Looking Dental Office 2021: Celestial Dental, Rochester, New York

    Dr. Antonio Calascibetta combined his love for astronomy and dentistry in this space-themed practice....

    Read More →
    December 1, 2021

    H20: Vertical or horizontal with Dr. Taite Anderson

    Culture

    Frozen or liquid. Fresh or salt. Warm or cold. Dr. Taite Anderson’s favorite hobby is water....

    No comment0
    Business

    Do you know Lou?

    Dr. Lou Berman is shaking up the dental instrument market, offering dentists high-quality products for a fraction of what other companies charge....

    Read More →
    Business

    Insurance Discount Plans: Good, Bad or Ugly?

    Dr. Travis Campbell

    The mere mention of dental insurance discount plans tends to elicit an immediate frown of dislike from many dentists. The sentiment which quickly comes to mind is “Why are we giving these patients a discount if insurance isn’t paying for anything...

    Read More →
    • terms of use
    • privacy

    Image
    Image
    Surviving and Thriving After COVID Shutdowns
    By Dr. Travis Campbell

    This has been an interesting and different year, to say the least, and it’s been difficult for me to hear the outcry of frustration and fear from my colleagues. While some dentists have bounced back from the COVID-19 shutdown, many are looking at closing or selling their practices. Our office had its share of frustrations from the shutdown as well, but, thankfully, we have been able to weather the storm. We are even bringing in another dentist to help.

    I want to share the No. 1 tactic that has kept us alive and thriving this year. It’s a tactic borrowed from prior experience, and it also can help new offices gain traction and grow quickly. That tactic is treating more emergencies.

    Embracing Emergency Patients

    I have talked about this topic for years. We love emergency patients, but I frequently hear about the concerns other offices have with them. A fair number of offices dismiss emergency patients if they don’t schedule comprehensive exams and treatment. Specific problems cited range from scheduling issues, to timing, to efficiency, to not hitting goals, as well as a general feeling that they might not be “good” patients.

    Let’s talk about why we love emergency patients in my office and how embracing them is an effective strategy for practice growth, now more than ever.

    It Shows Compassion

    Most of us chose to work in dentistry to help people. There is nothing more gratifying than helping someone alleviate a physically painful situation.

    You Have Room in Your Schedule

    Emergency appointments usually require a minimal amount of time. These patients will happily wait if they know you’re “fitting them in.” Being able to get them in today means more to them than having to wait 30 minutes when they arrive. We schedule emergency patients for 1 hour on an overflow column, so it does not detract from our normal schedule.

    The Financial Benefits

    Emergency patients are more likely to have their wallet open saying “take this, and fix me now, please.” Most emergency treatment is on the high dollar, low overhead spectrum. This includes extractions, root canals and crowns. And treatment doesn’t require your higher overhead hygienist.

    You’ll Earn Their Loyalty

    Emergency patients are often very loyal. This may sound odd because many of these patients only come in once every two to three years. However, if you ask them who “their dentist” is, you most often will get an extraordinarily strong “DR. X!” When you help patients in their time of need, it creates a wealth of loyalty. They may only see you every few years, but they will ONLY see YOU.

    You’ll Attract New Patients, Especially If You’re Marketing

    This year alone, dozens of new patients have returned for additional treatment because I saw them when their “dentist for years” could or would not get them in for an urgent situation. Our marketing helps attract these patients. Often, dentists are less likely to advertise for emergency care, which means marketing costs are lower and more effective for those who do.

    In times of a recession, patients often turn down high-end treatment and put off preventative care. This leads to a higher volume of emergency needs, which can last for months or years after a recession (or shutdown). We are already seeing far more SRP, extract/graft, and root canal treatments than ever.  This is likely to continue.

    The one consistent philosophy we’ve had in our office since we built the practice, and which we highlight on almost all our marketing pieces, is this:

    “Call by noon, be seen today.”

    We may or may not be able to actually complete a treatment same day (about 75% of the time we do), but we can always do something small and quick to help the patient feel better in less than 20 minutes (antibiotics, extraction, remove a tooth nerve, or adjust a sharp edge).

    Addressing A Common Concern

    The main concern offices talk about, the elephant in the room, is the reality that emergency patients often do not have a lot of money set aside for dentistry. Therefore, we always provide multiple options for financial arrangements.

    Now, we are also smart about this; we do not extend non-guaranteed money to new patients. But there are plenty of ways patients can finance their treatment and ensure the office gets paid regardless, including third-party up-front financing like CareCredit, or over time guaranteed financing such as Varidi. You could even have patients begin layaway payments and schedule their dental work once they have enough saved.

    Worst case scenario is you find a few patients who literally have zero funds, and you agree to complete a few charity extractions. The personal and team benefits from helping patients during a time of critical need can be highly rewarding and heart-warming. For me, this is the best reminder of why I got into dentistry in the first place!

    A Win/Win

    If you are feeling any pinch from 2020 and would like to both help your community and grow your practice, I highly suggest you start implementing ways to capture and treat more patients in urgent need of dentistry.

    About the Author

    Dr. Travis Campbell is a full-time practicing dentist. He started his practice from scratch after graduating from Baylor College of Dentistry in 2009 and has grown his single-dentist practice to be in the top 1% in the country. Dr. Campbell has become well known for his knowledge/experience in dental business management and efficiency, and especially on dental insurance. He is an author, speaker, contributor to various online dental communities and a dental coach/consultant. His book on dental office management was released in 2019, and another dental insurance training textbook is scheduled for release in the summer of 2021.

     

    You have Successfully Subscribed!

    Follow us

    Dental Insurance Guy
    Business

    Why Do We Deal with Insurance?

    Dr. Travis Campbell

    Are you ready to significantly reduce your dental insurance frustrations?  Would you like to achieve higher reimbursements, fewer denials, and happier patients?...

    Read More →
    Clinical

    Think Like an Endodontist and “ReThink” Your Approach to Endodontics

    William J. Nudera, DDS, MS

    NuEndo ReThinking Endodontics, is the first of its kind resource that uses easy-to-follow systems designed to simplify the complex process of endodontic diagnosis and case selection. The guide leads you through a series of well-organized,...

    Read More →
    Business

    GPs & Specialists: Strengthen Your Relationship

    Dr. Travis Campbell

    The relationship between a specialist and GP can be amazingly positive or incredibly tense depending on how it is managed and the communication between parties. Communication is a two-way street, and both sides can and do fail....

    Read More →
    Sponsored Advertisement

    Rethinking Endodontics!

    For the general dentist and the experienced endodontist alike, this book is a guide and a reference tool for the complex processes of endodontic diagnosis, prognosis, and case selection. Understand the dynamics of the pulpal-dentin complex, the underlying conditions related to pulpal and periapical disease, and the methods surrounding its...

    View More →
    Image
    • terms of use
    • privacy
    • terms of use
    • privacy
    Image
    • Home
    • Featured Profiles
    • Clinical
    • Business
    • Photography
    • Culture
    • The Best