Finding the right dentist for your family can be a challenge, especially if you’re looking for a kid friendly dentist. So, if you’re wondering, “is there a kid friendly dentist near me?” ask one of your neighbors who has children kids the same age as your kids. Children often need a dentist with a different approach, so it’s a good idea to find a dentist just for them.
Pediatric Dentists Make a Difference
When you find a nearby pediatric dentist, you’ll discover the difference they make for your children, at your child’s first visit. These dentists receive additional training after dental school, and they learn how to make every visit easier for your child. Pediatric dental services typically include dental education for your children during each visit, as correct dental hygiene during childhood is crucial.
Keep Looking for the Right Dentist
Finding the right dentist for your child is an important choice. Developing good dental health habits in childhood makes it easier to keep them for life. So, keep asking, “where’s the best kids dental office near me,” until you find the answer. Your kids are worth it.
There’s nothing like starting your own business. However, setting out on your own can be quite a challenge, even for a dentist. Having extensive dental knowledge and a passion for helping patients isn’t enough. You also need to know how to run a successful business. When you’re planning to start your dental business, there are many steps you need to take to ensure its success. From securing funding to finding a business location, you’ll have your work cut out for you as you put yourself out there in the dental market. Use this helpful guide as a way to learn how to start a dental practice from scratch.
Install an HVAC System
Having a healthy HVAC system is essential for any business. Can you imagine dealing with patients all day when your office is sweltering from summer heat because the AC isn’t functioning? Situations like that are how people can pass out from heat stroke. On the flip side, if the heating system shuts down in the middle of winter, you may have to temporarily close up shop until you fix that.
A healthy HVAC system also is responsible for circling healthy air within the environment. Properly filtered air is essential for any health-related business, whether it’s a hospital, a dental office, or a neighborhood clinic. You must also concern yourself with humidity levels. As a dentist, you’ll be working with specialized equipment and you don’t want it to get ruined from humidity. With a healthy HVAC system in place, your humidity, filtration, heating, and cooling should all be on point. So, make sure you call your local heating and air conditioning technicians to install a new HVAC system.
Renovate Your Bathrooms
Clean bathrooms are essential for any business. As a dentist and a new business in town, the last thing you want is filthy bathrooms with major plumbing issues. Call your local plumber to do an inspection. You may need your plumber to do small plumbing repair work such as updating fixtures. Or you may need more complex work, such as fixing leaky pipes. If you’re a pediatric dentist, you may need a bathroom that caters to children with shorter stalls and sinks. Whatever you need, make sure you handle that before you open your business as you will need a bathroom both for you, your staff, and customers that come in.
In addition to obvious things like updated toilets, sinks, and fixtures, consider adding posters that give instructions on how to properly wan general, dental care that people can take with them when they leave.
sh hands. You can put those in the bathroom stalls as well as in front of the sink. You can also have little pamphlets related to your dental office on the counter.
Your bathrooms don’t have to be fancy, but they should at least be clean, functional, and professional. Remember dentists are part of the health care network, so your bathrooms will be held to a higher standard compared to non-health related businesses.
Upgrade Your Work Spaces
Whether you’re a general dentist, orthodontist, or dental implant specialist, you need a functional and professional workspace. There should be a designated front desk area for your receptionist to sit, comfortably take calls, and make appointments. Don’t forget about your waiting room. Have a water cooler and comfortable chairs for patients to sit in.
Creating a functional workspace is part of how to start a dental practice from scratch. Depending on how big your practice is, you may need only one or several dental chairs. There should be one dental chair per room so that patients always have privacy when you’re working in their mouth. Make sure you have enough room for whatever equipment you’ll need. Your workspace shouldn’t be so tight to where you’re bumping into equipment and dental chairs. A countertop contractor will come in handy to install a smooth and professional work surface out front and in your dental rooms.
Find a Billing Company
Unless you plan to work for free, you’ll need a billing system set up. Even if you’re running a practice where you’re the only dentist, you won’t have time to deal with a bunch of accounting while dealing with patients. That’s why it’s essential to hire a medical billing outsourcing company. By outsourcing this type of work, you’ll have people who just deal with the bills and the accounting. If you’re unsure where to start, you could ask other dental professionals who are also running their practices. Or may be able to use a vendor that was at your previous dental job.
Improve Your Lighting
Good lighting is an essential feature in how to start a dental practice from scratch. Part of your job is to do procedures where you’re looking into patients’ mouths. Whether searching for tiny cavities or observing X-ray results, you need to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Therefore, you’ll need excellent lighting at all times. Local electrician businesses can check that your business wiring is safe. Good lighting isn’t just a case of being able to see what you’re doing. It’s also a matter of safety.
If your business is in a building with old wiring, there’s the chance of frayed or outdated wiring. Frayed wiring can be a safety hazard as it can cause electrical fires. You can also be in a situation in which the power goes out at the wrong time, namely in the middle of a dental procedure. As a dentist, you’ll use a lot of electricity, especially if you have many patients. If you open a dental practice in a building that never had a similar type of business, it may be necessary to make electrical grid updates that can handle the number of watts you’ll most likely use every day.
Secure Your Financing
Do you want to know how to start a dental practice from scratch with no money? The short answer is you can’t. When you open any business, you’ll need as much capital as possible. According to Titan Web Agency, a new dental business may need as much as $500,000. Your upstart business cost will go in many directions. You have to pay to lease or buy a space. You’ll need to rent or buy dental equipment. Even if you’re the only dentist, you need to hire at least some employees such as a dental assistant and receptionist. You need to plan for contractors to do various types of service in your dental office, such as cleaning, renovating, and more.
If you’re starting a dental practice with a partner, it may be easier to pool your resources to offset initial costs. However, if you’re a solo dentist, you should check to see if you qualify for small business loans in your area.
Plus, you’ll need various types of business insurance. You should get the insurance that protects your physical property in the event of ‘acts of God such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural destructive forces. Workers’ compensation insurance will help you in case one of your employees or contracts gets hurt in your dental office. Any full-time employees will also expect health insurance, life insurance, vacation time, and long-term disability insurance packages as well.
Good marketing is how to start a dental practice from scratch. If you want to successfully promote your business, you’ll have to pay for marketing costs, which your initial funding can help with. Your marketing budget may vary based on how tight your local dental market is. If your city is flooded with many dentists, you may have to spend more money and time getting your business name out there. However, if you’re one of two dentists in town or are an in-demand specialist, you may get away with spending less.
Unless you have half $1,000,000 in the bank, you may have to apply for a business loan. A rental property loan can help you afford your ideal space. When you start a new dental business, you want a good location and professional space where people cannot only easily find you, but where they can feel comfortable. Getting your services in.
Have Insulation Installed
Good insulation isn’t just for your home. A commercial building also needs insulation to protect it from the elements and seal in the air. Have you ever been inside a commercial business and couldn’t wait to leave because it was just so cold or hot? You were more than likely in a space that didn’t have good insulation. When people go to the dentist, they usually go for work that they must have done. After all, going to the dentist at least twice a year is essential for good oral care. Plus, if someone has a dental emergency, they probably won’t pick up and leave. However, do your patients a favor and make sure you don’t make their situation more unbearable by having an office that isn’t well-insulated. After all, some people suffer from dental anxiety, so being super cold or hot won’t help.
Insulation can also protect your business from pests, such as rodents and other creatures that can invade your space through small cracks and other vulnerabilities. Dental equipment is expensive. The last thing you’d want is to come in and realize that your equipment is crawling with roaches, spiders, or damaged by rats that can gnaw through many materials.
According to Bob Vila, spray foam insulation is the best insulation to use since it’s reliable, eco-friendly, and lasts a long time. Luckily, local insulation professionals can use a spray foam insulation application inside your drywall. If there is another business next to you, such reliable insulation can spare them from the sounds of constantly hearing your loud dental drills.
Get Your Roof Fixed
Getting an updated roof is how to start a dental practice from scratch. Your roof is essential for any structure you own, whether it’s your home or business. It protects from the outside elements. When it’s installed properly, it aids in the insulation that keeps your dental office warm in winter and cool in the summer.
Roofs are a common cause of leaks in any structure. Call local commercial roofing professionals to inspect your existing roof and make any necessary updates. If they advise roof replacement, go ahead with it. A new roof can prevent your business and expensive dental equipment from water damage or a roof collapse.
Have a Plumbing Inspection
Speaking of leaks, a good plumbing inspection is another way to avoid water damage and high utility bills. If there are cracks and other vulnerabilities in your pipes, it might be time for new plumbing installations. When you have functional plumbing, you can rest assured that you won’t have constant clogs or toilet backups. As a dentist, you need a constant supply of filtered water to clean patients’ mouths during procedures. If you have a problem with your water supply, you may be unable to perform a filling or tooth cleaning that day.
Create a Beautiful Exterior
Do you know how to start a dental practice from scratch when you have an ugly exterior? The best thing you can do to attract new business is to beautify that exterior as much as you can. Don’t worry if you’re a dentist who doesn’t have a green thumb. Local lawn care companies can create a beautiful, lush landscape that will add to your commercial curb appeal. They can fertilize grass so it always looks green and lush. They could plant flower beds around the areas and build a custom walkway with landscape stones. If you live in an area with warm weather, you can even have a couple of outside benches.
Now that you understand how to start a dental practice from scratch, you can start creating the business of your dreams. While this guide is a good overview of how to start a dental practice from scratch, there are still additional things to consider. Either way, this is a good way to get the ball rolling on being a dental practice owner.
