Think Like a Patient: Walk Through Your Own Dental Practice to See For Yourself

Every aspect of your dental practice should be carefully crafted to deliver the best patient experience. How can you know you have achieved this goal if you haven’t seen your practice from the patient’s point of view? You can find potential issues and identify areas for improvement by doing a full walkthrough from arrival to checkout.

Start in the Parking Lot

Creating a great patient experience starts from the moment the patient approaches your dental practice. You want to make it as quick and convenient as possible for your patients to get to their appointments, so start by assessing your location and parking situation.

Is it easy for people to find your practice? You should have clear signage that lets anyone identify your practice right away. Take the time to walk or drive by your office to verify that the signage is easily noticed. You also want the exterior of your practice to look clean and welcoming for a good first impression.

Accessibility and parking are key considerations. Dental practices can be located in a wide range of different spaces, so your parking situation will be unique to your office. If parking is a consistent issue, it might be time for a change. Accessibility also matters. Make sure that your practice meets all ADA requirements.

Step Into the Reception Area

As patients enter your dental practice, the reception area will set a first impression that you have to get just right. First, make sure that it’s clear where your patients need to go to check in. Take a look at your front desk—is it welcoming? Does reception have a clear line of sight to greet patients as they come in? Are patients greeted right away and in a friendly manner?

Cleanliness is critical in the reception area. Even minor uncleanliness can leave a bad impression in a medical setting. Keep your reception area thoroughly cleaned and tidy, and make sure to have welcoming decor.

You should also take a closer look at the patient experience during actual visits. How are the wait times at reception? If they’re too long, you may want to review your procedures and scheduling. Evaluate your new patient procedures as well—this is a critical point in securing long-term retention.

Sit Where Your Patients Sit

The reception area is another essential element of a positive patient experience. Try out the various seating options to ensure that they are all comfortable. Take in the view from these different areas. Do you think your patients can relax in your reception room, or will they feel rushed?

Lighting and noise are important considerations in any reception room. You want the lighting to be bright enough, but consider choosing warmer lighting than you use in treatment areas. This will make your reception room feel more welcoming.

Entertainment options can help make the reception room a more pleasant experience. Review your reading materials and consider whether they’re due for an upgrade. If you’re a pediatric dentist or have regular child patients, you should also focus on creating a child-friendly experience with children’s books and toys.

Experience the Clinical Side

Of course, treatment itself is another important area to look at. Do you have a smooth handoff between the front desk and clinical staff? You don’t want patients to feel that they’re being left to wait for no reason.

Communication is critical to the patient experience. Does your staff communicate well with patients regarding treatment, comfort, and next steps? This is an important quality in both general dentistry and orthodontics, requiring both technical insight into treatments and the soft skills to handle patients well.

Go Through the Checkout Process

For many patients, the finances surrounding dental treatment can be a source of anxiety. You can make things easier by ensuring that billing is explained clearly and that your team sticks to consistent and predictable processes. You also want your team to handle billing quickly and efficiently to avoid holding up patients.

Seeing what the final few minutes of a visit are like will shed light on the lasting impression left with your patients. Administration is important to get right, which is why the best orthodontic courses will focus on those details in addition to treatment.

Taking Action to Improve the Dental Patient Experience

With a better understanding of how your office comes across to patients, you can take action to improve the experience from start to finish. Take the time to walk through your dental practice to find out what’s working and what needs improvement. 

From there, you can take meaningful steps to enhance the patient experience. General dentist orthodontics courses from the American Orthodontic Society can help you do that, with a focus on handling every step of orthodontic treatment from start to finish. Browse upcoming courses today to find your next opportunity.