THINGS WE CAN LEARN
FROM DSO S
By Teresa Chien, Executive Director
According to
the ADA
Health Policy
Institute, 7.4%
of all US
dentists are
affiliated with
dental service
organizations
(DSO). For
new dentists, the number is even
greater, 16.3%. There percentages
increase every succeeding year,
indicating that DSOs aren’t going
anywhere. They’re here to stay.
I’ve always felt that, rather than fighting
the inevitable, it may be more
worthwhile to study and learn from
things that appear counter to who or
what we are. Whatever our personal
feelings toward DSOs are, there are
things they do that can teach organized
dentistry (and by extension, private
practitioners) to be an even better
version of itself.
1) LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Most DSOs are in high-traffic retail
commercial spaces rather than
professional office settings where
dentists have traditionally practiced. It is
what has helped their growth so
significantly. Pick the right location, and
the practice will flourish. We know that
property assessment can be a big
undertaking, which is why LADS
collaborates with Carr Healthcare
Realty to help members with niche
services such as market evaluation, site
selection, purchase versus lease
comparison, and more. If it saves you
time and money, why not take a little
time to talk to an expert about it?
2) PROFIT MATTERS
Comfort Dental’s CEO once said, “The
enemy in dentistry is always high
overheads. The average dental office
overhead is about 70% of monthly
revenue. Our overheads are about
Los Angeles Dental Society Explorer
45%.” One way Comfort Dental
accomplishes this is with minimalistic
operatories, sometimes as simple as a
row of dental chairs with a shelving unit
between a shared x-ray machine. You
may not want to go this far in your own
practice, especially since the design of
your practice is an extension of your
personal brand. However, you can save
in other areas, such as getting the same
discounts on supplies as DSOs get. This
is where The Dentists Supply Company
(TDSC) comes in. TDSC leverages the
collective purchasing power of
organized dentistry members to bring
you significant savings and free shipping
on all of your supply needs. In one
purchase, it is possible to save more
than what you pay in annual
membership dues! So take a look at
www.tdsc.com today.
3) KNOW BUSINESS
The key to corporate dentistry’s success
has been their approach to dental
practices. They treat it like a business.
They have systems in place that keep
“the business” running like clockwork
with robust marketing, billing,
accounting, legal, etc. It is critical that
your practice do the same to keep up in
this competitive marketplace. We know
that patients still come first, which is
where organized dentistry comes in.
ADA, CDA and LADS have practice
support services that can help you with
the business side of dentistry. Whether
it’s about management, regulations,
marketing or benefit plans, experts are
available to answer your questions and
provide resources to make “business
management” easier. Don’t let this free
benefit go to waste. Access everything
you need with a phone call or a visit to
https://www.cda.org/member-
resources/practice-support.
4) RECRUIT DENTAL GRADUATES
DSOs market heavily to dental school
graduates in an effort to attract young
recruits. You should consider doing so
as well if you are looking to hire an
associate. However, without a dedicated
recruiter, who has time to do this? This
is why LADS has partnered with Swiss
Monkey to make searching for
associates as easy as possible. Swiss
Monkey is a dental recruiting company
that allows you to connect with a broad
network of potential dental team
members directly or utilize a concierge
service in which their recruiters perform
the search for you from start to finish.
The right associate can breathe new
passion, energy and growth into your
practice, so if you’re considering
emerging talent, contact LADS or Swiss
Monkey for support.
5) GO AFTER WHAT YOU WANT WITH
UNFETTERED PASSION
In 1992, ADA reported that there were
only 157 DSOs in the country. In 2017,
they account for nearly 4,000 dental
practices. Corporate dentistry clearly
saw an untapped market, knew its own
value and aggressively went after their
goal. You, as a solo practitioner, can do
the same in both your own practice and
within organized dentistry. What makes
you, your professional style, your
hobbies, your methodology different
from anyone else? What corner of the
dental world are you committed to
changing? Figure it out, and in the
words of Nike, just do it!
Organized dentistry was conceived out
of dentists wanting to meet a certain
level of patient care, elevate the
profession, and address the lack of
cohesion in oral health. Today, ADA
and all its state and local components
are the leading go-to experts for all
things oral health. From technical
expertise to business acumen to
community advocacy – you can do your
part in contributing however you can to
the many opportunities available within
LADS, CDA or ADA. 䡲