How Dental Practice Design Helps You Stay Ahead of Dental Tourism

Wednesday, July 27, 2016

How Dental Practice Design Helps You Stay Ahead of Dental Tourism

Medical tourism—where countries have developed an expertise around certain treatments and operations, creating a financial option of lower cost medical care paired with a vacation destination—is no longer a new trend. What is new is a growing trend for dental patients to seek treatment abroad for more involved procedures—and some minor ones.

In the European Union, Hungary has emerged as the premier location for dental procedures, catering to patients from neighboring countries Austria and Germany as well as more distant countries like England. Hungary’s capital, Budapest, has seen a boom in the number of dentists setting up offices to treat the growing influx of international patients. Outside the EU, countries like Turkey, India, Mexico, China and Brazil are emerging as locations for low-cost dental procedures. 

The demand for dental tourism hasn’t grown significantly in the United States, but it could be fueled by growth in dental cosmetic surgery procedures. Dental industry analyst, Brocair Partners, reported in 2014 that cosmetic dentistry was one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. dental industry. A key factor for the increase is the growing number of baby boomers retiring. Boomers were raised with better oral hygiene than prior generations and are willing to invest in implants and other cosmetic procedures to maintain their smiles.

Dentists in the United States can capitalize on this trend by re-thinking the way they design and build their offices. First impressions are key. Designing an appealing and functional office will enhance productivity and efficiency as well as improve patient relations.

The office should be transformed from a blank canvas to an inviting experience. At Boyd Industries we see many doctors design and equip their offices to be, among other things, a communication tool, with an emphasis on personifying who they are as providers. The clinical appearance is replaced by offices that offer a spa-like or welcoming appearance for patients and their families. Even the operatory is taking on a more soothing appearance.

There are a number of things you can do to create a dream practice environment:

  • Create a firm practice vision. Do you want it warm and inviting? Do you want it sleek and clean? Do you want it modernistic and technologically-forward? Do you want to appear sophisticated? Youthful? Calming?
  • Maintain your personal strategies throughout the planning. Are you a steward of local history who wants to use the architectural elements present in an old building or keep within the building styles of the area? Are you a proponent of sustainable green materials for the various surfaces such as walls, floors and cabinetry
  • Use your vision to select treatment chairs, cabinetry, lighting, equipment mounts, delivery units, seating for the reception area, and even gaming systems for patient entertainment and marketing. This all factors into a prescription for the dream practice.

Classy operatoryBy investing in practice appearance, dentists can create a perceived “value add” to patients, thus closing the gap between the cost of a domestic procedure and traveling abroad. Of course practice appearance alone will not attract or retain patients, but when coupled with advances in dental technology, these changes can make the practice more efficient, reduce chair time and lead to better outcomes.

Boyd frequently sees this type of office branding in the orthodontic practices we serve. One such practice is Tyson’s West Orthodontics in Vienna, Virginia. Boyd Industries worked with Dr. Ibrahim Y. Alhussain to envision, design and create an office that is functional, friendly and provides an exceptional patient experience. The location features panoramic area views, sleek lines, and vibrant colors.

Enhancing the office appearance will help differentiate your practice from others. With many procedures such as orthodontics or cosmetics being patient-pay, patients can choose which dentist to see for their needs without being restricted by insurance plans or other subsidy programs.

Dentists need to be aware of the pending competition dental tourism may bring. But, as in any competitive situation, understanding why a patient would travel abroad and then implementing strategies to offset those reasons is key to preventing the loss of patients. Additionally, creating an experience for patients that transcends a traditional medical office setting will set you apart from other dentists. In short, you’ll be creating another world in your practice.

 

 

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