Can Dental Practices Upsell?
Not all Dental Practices are created equal and not all provide the same services. When most people think of going to the dentist, they think about getting their teeth cleaned, cavities filled, and when one is a little older, crowns and root canals come to mind as well.
These are the basic preventative and restorative dental services that are usually covered by dental insurance. Then there are tooth extractions and gum surgeries which some dental offices do within their practice and some don’t requiring the patient to visit a specialist often recommended by their “regular” dentist.
Cosmetic dental services such as teeth whitening, veneers, and smile makeovers, are becoming very popular, often cost a pretty penny, and are usually not covered by dental insurance companies.
I am not a dentist and have not checked into the prices of these kinds of cosmetic dentistry services, but if I were to venture a guess, I would assume they are quite costly and bring in nice revenue for the dentist providing the services.
Those dental practices that provide preventative, restorative, and cosmetic dental services have an opportunity to upsell the cosmetic services – an opportunity they might not even be aware of. Consider the following scenario:
Janice just moved into town and becomes friends with Alice next door. Alice recommends Doctor Smith for Janice and her family to use for their family dental needs because she really likes Doctor Smith. Janice takes her family to visit Doctor Smith and everyone is happy.
One day Alice meets Janice in the supermarket and is pleased to show off her new veneers. Janice is impressed and decides she wants to get veneers too so she asks Alice where she got hers. Alice tells her that Doctor Armstrong in the next town over does a great job and is reasonably priced. Janice visits Doctor Armstrong, gets her veneers and everyone is happy, except Doctor Smith when he sees Janice and Alice at their next annual dental checkup.
Continued on the next page
Follow Technorati