UNLOCK REVENUE POTENTIAL: THE SMILE CLUB BENEFITS FOR DENTAL PRACTICES

By Debbie Seidel Bittke

In the dynamic landscape of dentistry, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for the success and sustainability of every dental practice. Beyond traditional restorative and preventive dental services, patients are increasingly seeking aesthetic treatments, with teeth whitening ranking high on their wish list.

This article delves into the transformative potential of implementing an innovative approach—to add a profit center and boost cosmetic case acceptance.

You will read about a service that not many dental offices neglect to offer more patients. This one service is certain to meet patient demands and also revolutionize the financial outlook of most dental practices.

Understanding the Growing Demand for Aesthetic Treatments:

There has been a notable surge in the demand for aesthetic dental services in recent years. Patients are not merely seeking oral health; they desire a radiant and confident smile. Teeth whitening has become a focal point in this aesthetic pursuit, with more individuals recognizing its accessibility and impact. Dental practices that acknowledge and cater to this growing demand position themselves strategically in a competitive market and have the opportunity to create another simplified profit center.1

Seamless Integration Of The Smile Club

The Smile Club emerges as a game-changing strategy to integrate advanced teeth whitening services seamlessly into routine dental care. To initiate this transformation, dental offices can begin by incorporating a simple yet effective question into their patient interactions. One example of an open-ended question that will lead to more cosmetic dental cases can be, “If I could wave a magic wand, how would you like your teeth to look?”

Most patients respond by saying they want whiter teeth. Some will respond they want straight teeth, and the list of smile goals continues.

For all new patients, we must ask many questions about what our patient wants to achieve for their smile. As a dental hygienist, I have found it makes the appointment more enjoyable when I show them a shade guide and ask them to point to a color on the shade guide, where they believe the shade of their teeth matches the shade guide color. Most patients point to a color that is more yellow or brown on my shade guide as we look together at their teeth in a mirror.

My next question is, “Where would you like the color of your teeth to be?’ And the patient’s response is usually a color at the opposite end of my shade guide; towards the whitest color. Not every patient wants super white teeth, but most do wish their teeth were slightly whiter.

As a hygienist, once I polish my patients’ teeth, I know my patients want to leave with a brighter, whiter smile, so I will add a little whitening gel with a micro-tip applicator to their front teeth, top and bottom. At the end of my polishing session, I polish in the whitening gel and voilà!

You guessed it!

My patients have a brighter-little bit whiter smile. It took only two minutes to polish. I pull out that mirror, and I have them look at their teeth again. It’s exciting to see my patients’ faces with amazement and happiness when they now see how beautiful their teeth look!

It’s a lot of fun for my patient and extremely rewarding to see my patient’s happy face. It makes hygiene appointments a fun experience and flips the dreadful thought of sitting in a dental chair to a fun, enjoyable dental appointment.

The point here is to ask fun questions about your patients’ smile goals. I have switched up my question to be very entertaining. The above are only a few questions I ask. If there is a multi-billion-dollar lottery happening, I have fun asking patients what they want their smiles to look like when they win the lottery.

Implementing The Patient Loyalty Program

Once you learn that your patient’s smile goal is to have a whiter -brighter smile, the dental hygienist can recommend the patient join the office patient loyalty program to get free whitening and discounts on teeth whitening products and services. This exclusive patient loyalty program encourages patients to commit to routine preventive care hygiene appointments, providing a structured approach to optimal dental health. A key feature of the Smile Club is the pre-scheduling of future preventive care hygiene appointments and a 72-hour change of appointment policy, minimizing last-minute cancellations and no-shows.

Benefits Of The Patient Loyalty Program

Patients who join the patient loyalty program receive a whitening kit, which costs them less money than an inoffice whitening session or less than buying a similar whitening kit on Amazon or Walmart.

The latest in whitening gel technology includes LED Blue and Red lights and will have very similar results that an office chair whitening session accomplishes.

Thanks to the latest in LED COOL LightTM technology, patients no longer need to sit in a dental chair for an hour to have a whiter-brighter smile. There is no longer a need to take impressions and fabricate whitening trays.

Once the patient uses all their whitening gel in their initial take-home kit, as a member of the patient loyalty program, they can buy additional whitening pens for a discounted fee.

To express gratitude for their patients’ commitment to showing up for scheduled dental appointments, the patient loyalty club members also receive a free whitening pen during routine preventive care hygiene appointments. This multi-faceted approach not only ensures patient satisfaction but also cultivates a sense of loyalty to the dental practice.

The dental office has an opportunity to buy professional whitening products at wholesale prices when sharing the patient loyalty program with their patients. Offices using this type of patient loyalty program will buy their whitening products at wholesale prices, and in return they allow their patients to save big to whiten and brighten their smile.

Financial Impact On Dental Practices

The financial impact of implementing this specific loyalty program extends beyond the immediate benefits for patients. Dental offices using this specific loyalty program have reported a significant increase in patients expressing interest in and willingness to pay for various cosmetic dental services.

The increased cosmetic cases are scheduled because the hygienists and the entire team will routinely ask patients about their smile goals.

Let’s flip the negativity around dental appointments into being patient-centered and listening to what our patients want for their smiles.

There is a saying, “People buy what they want, not what they are told they need to buy!”

This is why offices asking patients about their smile goals have higher case acceptance, especially for cosmetic dentistry.

REDUCING LAST-MINUTE CANCELLATIONS AND NO-SHOWS

One of the perennial challenges for dental practices is managing last-minute cancellations and no-shows. The structured nature of the patient loyalty program, with its pre-scheduled appointments and 72-hour change of appointment policy, this loyalty program acts as a deterrent for patients who may otherwise postpone or skip appointments. This reduction in last-minute disruptions contributes to a more efficient and profitable practice.

Life happens, and people get sick. When patients have a true emergency or are sick, of course, we understand they need to change their appointment. The point of using the Smile Club is to educate patients about how we (the office employees and the dentist-business owner) want to be treated. Many dental offices are afraid that if they tell patients they can’t call at the last minute to cancel or leave a message on their office voicemail, they will upset the patient.

The truth is that we begin to feel like our patients are family. Our patients become our friends. Isn’t this what we hope for? Would a friend call you at the last minute to cancel your lunch date because it’s the same time their hairdresser can get them in for a haircut?

Absolutely not!

If a friend canceled their activities scheduled with you every time you were about to meet them for lunch, you know you would not be too happy with your friend. And why do dentists fear their patients won’t return if we put boundaries and expectations around changing dental appointments?

Implement this patient loyalty program, and you will discover you do have fewer last-minute cancellations and no-shows. It’s a great incentive for patients to keep appointments and always return to your dental office.

Attracting New Patients With Teeth Whitening

For years, dental offices have used teeth whitening as a hook to attract new patients. The introduction of the patient loyalty program amplifies this strategy by not only drawing in new patients but also fostering long-term relationships with patients.

The appeal of affordable and effective teeth whitening serves as a gateway for patients to explore a broader range of cosmetic dental services. Think more implants, veneers, Invisalign, and full-mouth rehabilitation procedures.

Conclusion

The convergence of advanced whitening technology and the innovative patient loyalty program presents a transformative opportunity for dental practices. Dental offices can reshape their financial outlook by understanding and addressing the growing demand for aesthetic treatments.

A patient loyalty program using whitening not only meets patients’ desire for whiter teeth but also establishes a framework for sustained patient loyalty, increased revenue, and a thriving cosmetic dental practice. As dental practices evolve to embrace these strategies, they position themselves at the forefront of a changing industry, ready to meet the diverse needs of their patients.

Let’s work together to change the negative connotation around dental appointments. Cheers to a new way to have more patients smile big!

Reference.

Teeth Whitening Market Forecast. https://bit.ly/10BILby2026

Accessed June 26, 2023.

About the author

Debbie Seidel Bittke, RDH, BS is founder of Dental Practice Solutions. She is a distinguished dental hygienist, dental hygiene department coach, and the visionary behind the creation of Celebrity Smiles Club, a dental practice growth system that uses teeth whitening as a reward for patient loyalty. With her expertise, Debbie has revolutionized the way dental practices grow and thrive, keeping patients engaged and returning to their routine preventive care appointments for optimal oral health. website: www.dentalpracticesolutions.com email: debbie@dentalpracticesolutions.com Office: 623-2521941

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