Questions To Ask Yourself To Uncover Vital Information

Opportunities in business are changes that allow you to advance your dental practice success. Finding opportunities in apparent downturns is a valuable business skill. When patient revenue dips, you may be tempted to take the path of least resistance, feel discouraged, or doubt yourself. 

Challenging times in business can feel like they are limiting your dental practice’s success. But you must look at things through a different lens: Instead of focusing on the negative, concentrate on the things that are working best.

Take a moment to take a personal inventory by reflecting on your dental office. Start by asking yourself the questions below. 

What are the things that work best for you? 

Figuring out what is currently working well will help you refine your focus. Finding your office’s strengths and weaknesses helps provide direction for your business. After becoming more focused, you’ll improve your productivity and increase your dental practice success.

It’s also helpful to review your past work. What cases stand out to you that were extremely successful? How did you manage those cases, and what did you do differently? 

Who are your favorite patients? 

This question isn’t necessarily asking you to identify a specific person. This is more about recognizing the qualities shared by your favorite patients. Some examples you may consider include: 

• Patients who appreciate the care they are receiving 
• Patients who comply with treatment
• Patients who are receptive to ways to improve their oral health 

Finding the perfect patient is challenging, but identifying your ideal patient will help you understand the type of patient you want to attract.

What is your favorite aspect of dentistry? 

Dentistry has evolved drastically over the past 50 years. New specialties are getting approval from the American Dental Association, and new technology is entering the market regularly. You may practice as a general dentist, but what area is your favorite? Do you favor cosmetic work? Are you really good at placing implants? 

Maybe you’ve always been interested in orthodontics but never continued your education. Identifying new and old passions will help shape your dental practice moving forward. This may be the time to enroll in orthodontic courses for general dentists so you can offer your patients additional services.

What cases could you do without? 

Every dentist has that particular treatment or case they wish never to deal with again. You likely already know yours, but if not, try to identify one. It’s essential to figure out how to continue emphasizing these cases without affecting your treatment acceptance. 

What are your most productive days? 

Is your office bustling early in the week but mostly quiet by Friday? Now might be the time to reassess your office hours. Can you restructure business hours to better accommodate your patients while eliminating a work day? This decision may seem scary initially, but it will save you a huge amount in overhead. 

What days do you struggle the most? 

Think about which days you feel more sluggish and unprepared to handle your cases. If you can identify a day, you can restructure your schedule. Try scheduling shorter appointments on those days (or longer if that works better for you). It may also be beneficial to schedule in-office hours to review charts, plan treatments, and make phone calls. 

Which team members revive your energy? 

Some people make us thrive, while others make us want to bury our heads in the sand. When possible, build a team of people who make you feel rejuvenated. These co-workers will share your vision and contribute to both your individual and dental practice success.

Discover what you love about your practice. 

Take some time to reflect on your practice. It may take a while to answer a few of these questions, but you’ll learn a lot about yourself and your business. Identifying what you love about your practice will make you, your team, and your patients happier.

When you understand what you love about your practice, you can attempt to multiply it. When you do that, it makes getting through the challenging times more bearable. You also add more value to your patients’ lives because they’ll see your passion for treating their oral health needs. 

Enhance your dental practice with an orthodontic course from the American Orthodontic Society.

At the American Orthodontic Society, we want you to see success in your business. We’ve designed courses to help dental professionals like you multiply their investment to begin practicing smarter and more efficiently. You can learn more about practice-building that works better for you and your patients at one of our upcoming orthodontic courses for general dentists. We have basic courses to get you started or more advanced courses for those who have orthodontic experience. Contact us today to learn more or register for a course.