It is a question that you have asked yourself often. You even have asked your patients, and while you’ve received answers—and read your online reviews—the majority are reticent to be critical of the person who wields the dental drill in-person.
It is a question that we at Dandy ask ourselves daily as we think of how we can enhance patient experience at the dental practices of our partners.
We thought it was high time to get answers.
Dandy partnered with a third-party market research firm to candidly uncover the wants, needs, and expectations of the modern US adult dental
patient. We took the findings and consulted some of the top minds in dentistry to put the data into perspective and add actionable advice based
on the insights. We hope that the Dandy Dental Study: Patient Experience will give you valuable observations that you can use to bolster your practice and improve the lives of your patients.
“All dentists have the clinical knowledge to be great doctors, but what is often missed in dental school and training is how to deliver exceptional patient experience,” says Dr. Jeremy Wano, the Head of Customer Experience Programs at Dandy. While compassion is certainly part of the recipe, that’s just scratching the enamel, there is so much more into having patients feeling fulfilled with their relationship with you…
The Dandy Dental Study: Patient Experience plunges deep into what those in your care are really looking for from practice operations to digital dentistry and precisely how they seek it out.”
Broadly we will look at:
- What causes patient affinity and dissatisfaction.
- How to retain your current patients.
- How to attract new patients.
Along the way we will delve into specifics like:
- How often patients change dentists, and what are the main causes.
- What are the simplest ways to enhance patient experience.
- What factors do prospective patients look for in a new practice and how do they do their search.
- Our exclusive research certainly confirmed some notions we all have had—which is helpful—but it also uncovered some perspectives that aren’t (yet) universally ascribed to.
For instance which of the following do you think has the highest correlation with patients’ appreciation of their dental practice?
A. Same or next-day appointments
B. Night or weekend hours
C. Minimal waiting room time
D. Convenient location to them
The answer was resoundingly: C. minimal wait time. While many practices stretch on nights and weekends to provide convenient hours for their day-working patients, it turns out they are fine coming during the day, they just want truly to be seen at the scheduled appointment time. Instead of asking the staff to work a late Thursday or to come in on the weekend, you can achieve more by scheduling smarter during normal operating hours.
Dandy knows that satisfied patients are more than just good business; you entered the medical field to help people and communities. But if any dentist can fill a cavity, which aspects of your practice set you apart? Why should a patient choose you over the competition? If keeping the operatory lights on means retaining existing patients and growth is a matter of attracting new ones, what is the secret amalgam for great patient experience? We at Dandy believe that you treat the patient as much as the tooth.
You are in the mouth of a patient but how do you get into their head?
Enter the Dandy Dental Study: Patient Experience.
With the help of Isurus Market Research, we conducted a survey of adults across the US, at the heart of which was a central question: “What do patients care about most?”
We polled a wide swath of adults in the US who attend the dentist with some form of regularity. Respondents represented a diversity of ages, locations, backgrounds, genders, and incomes, providing detailed information about–but not limited to–perceptions of their dentist, methods by which they find and select a doctor, and experiences with both restorative and elective procedures. A total of 600 individuals aged 26-66+ were polled, answering over 40 questions using a Likert scale ranging from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent). All respondents to the survey had undergone a dental procedure within the last 10 years. Results were subjected to statistical analysis, ensuring that the data presented is not only salient but durable.
Key takeaways from the Dandy Dental Study: Patient Experience.
Attracting new patients:
- 76% of people looking at online reviews seek information on location and insurance
- 1-in-4 look for modern dental technology in the reviews
- Patients who experienced an intraoral scanner were 12% more likely to recommend a practice to those who had traditional dental impressions
Retaining existing patients:
- 93% of patients who said their procedures were explained well, rated their dentist 5-out-of-5
- Patients who experienced the intraoral scanner perceived to have 35% less time in the chair than expected to those who had traditional impressions
- More than 50% of patients who underwent an elective procedure were prompted to do so by their dentist’s suggestion or recommendation
Patient dissatisfaction:
- 8% of adult US dental patients only go to the dentist when something is wrong
- 72% of 26-35 year-olds have switched dentists within the past 5 years
- On average patients switch dentists every 7 years
50+ more learnings are in the eBook linked below.
Our hope is that, by furnishing you with data-driven insights into what patients care about most, you can make smarter, more dynamic, more compassionate decisions about how to grow your business and position yourself at the forefront of patient care. Dive into the Dandy Dental Study: Patient Experience.
