How to Improve the Dental Office Experience for Your Patients

When you operate a dental practice, you need more than savvy marketing to create good patient experiences. From scheduled reminders to soothing waiting rooms, certain strategies can work to your advantage. But which approaches work best?

Read on to learn how to improve the dental office experiences for your patients!

Make Check-In and Billing Easier

Offer a streamlined approach to check-in to build better patient retention. This can mean sending procedural forms to patients to fill out electronically. You can use an app to schedule new appointments and update insurance information, too.

Scheduled reminders can be emailed or texted to patients. At the same time, plan on calling in a reminder, too, since this gives the patient an opportunity to ask questions. With streamlined dental appointments, patients will appreciate needing to spend less time away from family and work!

Be Transparent About Wait Times for Dental Appointments

Is your practice short-staffed due to the common cold? Or is the dentist tied up with an unexpected issue? Anything that can extend a patient’s wait time should be communicated to the patient.

This is especially true for patients who’ve taken time off from work. Be clear about delays and offer to reschedule. Word-of-mouth recommendations can go a long way, but a disgruntled patient who has to miss a meeting won’t offer them.

Patient Experiences Benefit from Better Engagement

Building better patient relationships starts with an engaging staff. Make sure you hire friendly and clear office administrators who help patients feel at ease. Staff should be warm, smiling, and considerate.

Dentists and hygienists should be empathetic, too. Dentists need to offer clear explanations about oral hygiene issues and validate why intimidating procedures are necessary. They should be willing to demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques, too!

Create an Appealing Waiting Room

A drab and uninviting waiting room can make people feel more anxious before an appointment. Instead, furnish your waiting room with comfortable seating and soft, neutral colors. Find more information here about other solid design choices.

Include a variety of entertainment options, as well. Magazines about home decor and television streaming cooking shows are good options.  A fish tank, fireplace, or artwork can provide a welcome diversion.

Use Technology to Your Advantage

If your patients want to access their medications or upcoming appointments, where can they go? Create an app where patients can check appointments, review visit summaries, and ask questions. Post billing information, too, since patients will need to account for payment in their budget.

Patients will enjoy the opportunity to access records easily and email questions to the medical staff. The convenience of an app may just help with patient retention!

Build Better Patient Relationships

Creating stronger patient experiences boils down to offering good customer service and a welcoming space. Use an app to keep track of patient information so they can access it easily. And outfit your waiting area with entertainment options to make the experience better.

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