March 16th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Dental Editorials, Practice Management | Permalink | No Comments
Missed dentist appointment fees have recently made headlines, with one Canadian man complaining loudly about a $400 cancellation charge.
Many dentists charge patients missed appointment fees. Typically, these fees tend to be about $25-50 per appointment. But there's a lot more variation than you might expect!
March 16th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Surveys, Practice Management | Permalink | 1 Comment
Dentist annual fee increases aren't universal in a recession economy, suggests this survey. While half of dentists (54%) report that they have raised fees in the past year, it’s been over a year since their last fee increase for the other half (44%). And 2% have even lowered their dental fees.
Those who did raise fees did it by an average of 4.5%. “Staff realized how important it was and influenced me!" said one dentist. "I was hesitant at this time, but they insisted because of how expenses are increasing, etc, not because they want raises. They know the difficulties of today running a practice."
March 14th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Funny Dental News | Permalink | 2 Comments
Jessica Simpson startled dentists and fans alike with her recent dental confession:
"I don't brush my teeth," she said in an iheartradio interview. "No, really! I just use Listerine — and sometimes I'll use my sweater."
March 12th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Dental Marketing, Dental Videos | Permalink | 1 Comment
Dentists picked direct mail as their most effective avenue for dental practice marketing. Other favorites include yellow pages advertisements, TV ads, and dental websites.
“Sixty new patients per month with the new dental sign!” said one dentist.
March 11th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Dental Continuing Education | Permalink | No Comments
For the first time since last October, Jim Du Molin is accepting new members to The Wealthy Dentist University.
However, spring enrollment will close soon… So if you'd like to join, don't miss this chance! Click here to learn about enrolling
March 10th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Surveys | Permalink | 1 Comment
Just over half (55%) of practices offer evening hours, and 37% let patients make weekend appointments, this survey found. Mondays are the busiest day of the week for 1 in 3 practices.
Many dental practices are closed on Fridays. "On Friday, if the weather was nice, patients always cancelled," said one dentist. "We work Tuesday evenings instead. The staff and I love 3-day weekends. Nice quality of life. I highly recommend it."
March 7th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Funny Dental News | Permalink | No Comments
A dentist in Michigan will be granted the Guinness World Record for the largest toothpaste collection in the world.
Russian-born Dr. Val Kolpakov's collection includes a stunning 1800 toothpastes and tooth powders from across the globe. Here are some of the more unusual types he's gathered:
March 5th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Videos | Permalink | No Comments
The average dental patient travels about 5-10 miles to see their dentist for treatment, we found in this survey of dentists. Rural patients travel longer distances for dental care than do urban residents.
However, some patients keep their dentist even after moving hundreds – sometimes thousands – of miles away.
March 2nd, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Marketing, Dental Surveys | Permalink | 9 Comments
Dentists are embracing social media websites for business networking and internet dental marketing. Over half of dentists (57%) report using Facebook, Twitter and/or LinkedIn for professional purposes.
Facebook is the clear leader; half of dentists use it professionally, and 4 out of 5 are on Facebook for personal purposes. One in three dentists uses Twitter professionally, and one in three is on Linked In.
February 26th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Products | Permalink | 2 Comments
Zinc will be removed from PoliGrip denture cream, announced manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline.
Hundreds of denture patient lawsuits are being consolidated in federal court. The manufacturers of zinc-based denture creams are accused of failing to warn consumers about the health risks of long-term zinc exposure.
February 26th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Videos | Permalink | No Comments
Being a pediatric dentist isn't so different from being a general dentist. In this survey, we found that 86% of dentists say their practices offer pediatric dentistry. Only 14% said they do not treat children under age 14.
“We treat kids, but most of our dental marketing is geared toward adults 35-65," said one dentist. "We don't turn kids away, but we don't encourage them either."
February 24th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Dental Editorials | Permalink | 3 Comments
In Jim Du Molin's “The 2010 State of Dentistry Address,” he discusses how the #1 problem facing President Obama is the same as that faced by dentistry.
“2010 has arrived,” Jim says. “While the president talks about the state of the union… what about the state of dentistry?
February 23rd, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Surveys | Permalink | 3 Comments
One of every two dentists is so worried about bisphenol A (BPA) that they think the American Dental Association (ADA) should issue a warning about the chemical’s dangers.
On the other hand, half think we still need more research. "The ADA must respond only to true science," one dentist declared.
February 20th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Funny Dental News | Permalink | 5 Comments
Root canal treatment doesn't usually make celebrity gossip news… But Lil' Wayne changed that recently after getting a whopping 8 root canals during a single 8-hour appointment.
He was recently found guilty of felony attempted gun possession, but the judge allowed him to take care of his dental work before reporting to jail for his sentence.
February 19th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Videos | Permalink | No Comments
Tooth whitening is one of the most popular forms of cosmetic dentistry, and even though some patients overdo it, five out of six dentists don't think it's a problem.
“If people want ‘toilet bowl teeth,’ so what?" asked one cosmetic dentist. "Too white? Isn't that like being too rich?"
February 16th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Cosmetic Dentistry, Dental Editorials | Permalink | 2 Comments
Dentists: Is the "cosmetic dentist" morphing into a new creature entirely?
I've been having fun exploring some of the lesser-known areas of dental marketing. My article on holistic dentistry went over pretty well, but not everyone appreciated the humor in my description of dentistry and astrology.
February 16th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Surveys | Permalink | 2 Comments
Today's dental implant dentist isn't necessarily a specialists. In fact, this survey found that 99% of general dentists restore dental implants, and 55% place the implants themselves in straightforward dental implant surgery cases.
"They were invented by GPs like us," said one general dentist. "More dentists should be placing them. Specialists should not be arrogantly taking control."
February 16th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Legal | Permalink | 3 Comments
The pediatric dentist should be a part of every kid's childhood.
And the consequences of avoiding the children's dentist can go far beyond cavities and tooth decay… Just ask the Washington state mother who was convicted in court for not having taken her son to the dentist.
February 15th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Videos, Sedation Dentistry | Permalink | No Comments
The sedation dentist has many tools to calm patients with dental anxiety, but one of the methods most commonly used is oral conscious sedation.
In our survey, two-thirds of dentists reported that their practices offer sedation dentistry with OCS.
February 14th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Funny Dental News | Permalink | 1 Comment
The UK dentist was found guilty of professional misconduct by the country's General Dental Council (GDC) for a remarkably unusual reason…
"Patient A" visited Dr. Catherine Crowe in 2008 for help with her severe jaw pain. The dentist told the patient that the spirit of the patient's mother (who died 15 years earlier) was present with them in the dental surgery.
February 10th, 2010 | Jim Du Molin | Dental Editorials | Permalink | 16 Comments
Last week I talked about how "holistic dentistry” can be a good dental marketing choice. Most of the comments I received were in support of alternative dentistry.
So let's get even more "fringe," shall we? It's time to talk astrology & dentistry.
February 9th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Surveys | Permalink | 12 Comments
One dentist in three has cut their dental hygienist working hours, with the slow economy leaving less demand for dental hygiene services.
Another 11% have reduced the number of dental hygienists they employ, and 5% have cut compensation.
February 8th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Practice Management | Permalink | No Comments
Dentists rely heavily on the advice of colleagues in making dental equipment purchases, found a survey of UK dentists.
Two out of three dentist respondents said that peer recommendation was a major factor in making purchasing decisions.
February 8th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Insurance | Permalink | 2 Comments
California regulators are going after dental health plans that claim to offer big benefits but deliver very little.
There have been over 150 consumer complaints in California about these plans over the last four years. Though the state requires discount dental plans to be licensed, enforcement has been spotty. The state is now seeking new licensing requirements.
February 8th, 2010 | Julie Frey | Dental Videos | Permalink | 1 Comment
Dentists love Invisalign, we found in this survey. Three quarters of general dentists say they offer Invisalign braces to their patients.
“You are crazy not to offer this service," advised one doctor. "As a dentist, we do simple cases and refer out to an orthodontist the complex cases. There are lots of dental CE opportunities to beef up your skill sets."
