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One Of The Most Competitive Healthcare Niches
While dental health is important for overall longevity, it’s seen by many as a healthcare option which is voluntary. Sure, it’s good to have your teeth healthy. There’s a lot of social appeal to having a bright smile which reflects light as snow does in winter. Blinding pearly whites are everyone’s desire.
The thing is, if it comes down to solid dental health, or something like a kidney transplant, the latter tends to take precedence. Also, dentists tend to have a mixed reputation. There’s a funny story which many dentists aren’t too keen on. Steve Martin played an evil dentist in the eighties movie Little Shop of Horrors.
Many dentists did not like how Martin portrayed the industry. In the film, Bill Murray loves to be punished by dental tools, and Martin’s dental character loves to mete out torture; so he’s befuddled by Murray’s character. Strangely, many dentists didn’t get the joke: that the public sees them, at least to some extent, as enjoying dentistry downsides.
But the thing is, Little Shop of Horrors is an American comedy film; and if you compare the dental hygiene of Americans to people who live…pretty much anywhere else, you’ll find American dental health is among the best in the world. The USA is in the top ten, though not at the very top. Meanwhile, the UK is at number five—who saw that coming?
Statistics To Think About
At any rate, here’s the point: dentists naturally felt a bit threatened by Martin’s portrayal owing to how elective dentistry can be. Though American dental health is in the world’s top 5%, plenty of people eschew this readily available health solution. When you consider poor flossing has been linked to things like heart disease, there’s a good argument for oral health.
The truth is, though there are many reasons why solid dental health is advisable for everyone, the industry is competitive. Dentists have to use every tool available to maximize profit and expansion. For example, don’t just use some improvised solution for managing billing or patient data, look at solutions like this easy dental software. Optimize specifically across the board.
Expanding From Specialization
Start out specializing in one wing of oral health before expanding outward. For example, if you’re getting started with cleanings, avoid more in-depth procedures until you’ve got the infrastructure for them. While orthodontics differs from dentistry, some practices expand into that area of tooth health once they’ve reached a certain level of success.
Your business can do the same, but it needs to do so at the right time. A great tactic to boost visibility and avoid unnecessary expenses will involve filling local niches. Figure out what local practices aren’t doing well enough, and outdo them.
Lean Into Public Perceptions
Another idea to increase visibility might be leaning into bad reputations of the past and making light of them. People don’t really believe dentists are evil, but the Little Shop of Horrors joke works because it’s so over the top. People do like to be humorous when they’ve got medical personnel drilling inside their mouths.
Accordingly, be humorous. Have a good attitude. Make advertising that reflects as much. Are you pursuing online SEO? Well, design that SEO in a geographically located way that includes a little humor here and there. Try to resonate with people in ways they respond to.
Organic Viability Expansion
Leaning into public perceptions, expanding from areas of specialization, and exploring related statistics all represent fine ways of naturally increasing the viability of your dentistry practice. Use these or similar methods as is convenient for your practice.