Invisible Corporately Owned Dental Practices

As a dental patient, there are a myriad of offices to choose from to meet your needs. I will admit that I am passionate about the independently owned and operated model. But in an increasingly challenging environment for small businesses, many offices are beginning to partner with corporate owned private equity and other type organizations. Most of them operate in very ethical and patient centered processes, but occasionally this does not occur.

As a patient, there are some questions you can ask to empower yourself and arrive at peace of mind with your treatment plan.

• Ask ! Is this practice privately owned?
• How long have you (the provider) worked here? Do you intend to stay?
• Would you recommend this practice to your family members?
• What is the practice philosophy ?
• Can you (the doctor) be reached after hours, or do the calls go to an answering service with an on call doctor who may not be familiar with my case?
• How many of these types of cases have you done, and what is the most common complication?
• Are you board certified?
• Do you travel from one office to another?

In addition to question you can ask, please don’t ignore your intuition! While online reviews can be an indicator, they are often skewed in one direction due to businesses eliciting reviews from only certain patients. Reviews can also at times be outdated. Rather than relying on reviews, ask yourself, “Does this feel like a place I feel comfortable or is it devoid of the personal touch?”

The right practice model is different for everyone, and you have many choices where you receive care. I am happy to provide support to our patients, whether a patient at my practice or not. Please do not hesitate to reach out.

— Dr. Dipa Patel