4 Mistakes Pediatric Dentists Make and How to Avoid Them

Preventable Challenges in Dentistry

Dentistry is a challenging field, and every specialization carries unique pitfalls. Some of the most common mistakes pediatric dentists make can have major negative impacts.?

Fortunately, many of these mistakes are preventable. You can address these four areas to help your practice run more smoothly.

1. Not Focusing on How to Talk with Parents

Every dentist is well aware of the importance of communication. Proper communication is vital to foster trust and comfort in your patients. It leaves them happier with their treatment and more likely to keep up with critical routine appointments. Effective communication is one of the most important tools any dentist can have.

However, pediatric dentists face unique challenges in this area. Children require a different approach than adult patients. Explanations must be simpler, and a specific tone must be taken during communication. Pediatric dentists quickly learn how to adjust their communication style to make their young patients comfortable.

But pediatric dentists don’t deal with just children; they must also work with the parents of those children. Speaking to parents takes communication skills, but a different set than those used when conversing with children.

Keeping parents satisfied is vital to keep them bringing their children back. Ignoring the importance of parent communication is one of the biggest mistakes pediatric dentists make. Take time to ensure that parents are comfortable and involved during the treatment process.

Involving parents fully at each stage of treatment planning can help establish confidence in your practice. You can better address parents’ concerns, and in turn, your practice can enjoy good reviews and positive word of mouth.

2. Missing Out on the Business Side of Your Practice

As a dentist, your top priority is delivering quality care for your patients. You help people maintain their oral health and the look and function of their smiles. Fulfilling that purpose makes what you do meaningful, but it’s important to remember other details.

Another mistake pediatric dentists make is distancing themselves from their practice as a business. Planning and carrying out treatment takes expert skill and attention, but the details included in running your practice as a business need your attention as well.

You must be able to manage your finances, business strategy, leadership responsibilities, and other aspects of your practice. While you can entrust some of these tasks to the services of professionals, there’s still a lot to handle yourself.

Consider reaching out to a coach or consultant to develop your business skills. Many are available, and you can even find those who cater specifically to dentists. Business coaching can help you build soft skills that allow you to act as a better leader for your team and develop stronger strategies for your business.

3. Leaving Marketing Opportunities on the Table

Are you taking full advantage of marketing your practice? You might hope that word of mouth will be enough, but the simple fact is that you need to take a more aggressive approach to your marketing efforts.

Digital marketing is more important than ever. If your website hasn’t been updated in years, you’re making a big mistake where promoting your practice is concerned. Update your website with the latest search engine optimization methods to ensure that your practice ranks highly in searches.

Don’t overlook social media either. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all provide great engagement opportunities. You can get your practice out there and reach potential patients more effectively through social media marketing.

4. Not Offering Comprehensive Treatment Options

Providing more treatment options is one of the best ways to build a better pediatric practice. Busy families want to visit just one dentist for all treatments whenever possible. You can serve them better by offering a wider range of services and making fewer referrals to specialists.

For pediatric dentists, orthodontic treatment is one of the best areas to focus on. Many children will need orthodontic treatment at some point, and the right orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists can prepare you to treat most of these cases.

Providing treatment in-house is better for you and your patients. Your practice enjoys new revenue streams from existing patients, and you deliver the comprehensive treatment that your patients are looking for. Most parents prefer to work with the dentist they know and trust rather than shuffle back and forth to specialists.

Build a better practice with orthodontic courses for pediatric dentists.

The American Orthodontic Society helps general and pediatric dentists build better practices through comprehensive treatment options. You can develop the skills and knowledge necessary to expand your practice with orthodontic treatment. See our current course catalog to find out how our courses can help you.