Reducing operating costs, adding technology and expansion are among the list of goals dentists have for their practices in 2023.
Seven dentists recently spoke with Becker's about their goals for next year:
Editor's note: Responses were lightly edited for clarity and length.
Myron Allukian Jr., DDS. Associate Clinical Professor at Harvard School of Dental Medicine (Boston) and Clinical Assistant Professor at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine: My goal for 2023 is to have a more prevention-oriented dental care delivery system that is available, accessible and reasonable for all Americans irrespective of income level and payment system. In addition, to have more Americans living in fluoridated communities, so they too may have its health and economic benefits.
Michael Davis, DDS. Smiles of Santa Fe (N.M.): I have been in the practice of general dentistry since 1981, which is over 40 years. Today, I am busier than I have ever been. Some days it seems almost overwhelming.
I would like to cut back my office hours and spend more time at home and projects outside of clinical care. My goal is to merge my practice with a small business dental practice or have a more junior colleague assume my practice and me stay on in a part-time capacity. I have an experienced broker working on that task.
I have seen too many horror stories play out by selling to a DSO. That is not what I desire for my patients, my staff or myself.
Maximization of production and return on investment are not the most critical elements in my life. My quality of life trumps all, and especially fostering a positive doctor/patient relationship.
Misako Hirota, DMD. Private practice (National City, Calif.):
- Reducing participation in low paying PPO insurance plans
- Expanding procedures offered (implant placement and restoration, Invisalign)
- Relying on associate dentists for hygiene rather than hiring hygienists
- Reducing overhead by careful inventory control
Pasha Javaheri-Saatchi, DMD. Pasha Dental (New York City): First and foremost, like any year, I always want to surround myself with great co-workers. Not only is it important to look forward to going to work every day, a high functioning support system pays dividends outside of the practice.
I'm constantly tweaking the patient experience, trying to make some positive change every six months so those patients that come in regularly can see I have them in mind. We just opened a brand new facility last month, but I'm already planning to invest in some form of robotic-guided implant surgery and some microscopes to serve my patients better by bringing more specialists aboard.
William Kottemann, DDS. Kottemann Orthodontics (Minnesota): My 2023 goal is to grow the practice by 10 percent through new assisting staff hires, which will allow a greater number of patients to be seen per day, freeing up more time for new patient exams.
Eric Moellers, DDS. Moellers & Moellers Family Dentistry (Decorah and Lansing, Iowa): We are looking to:
- Reduce overhead to 70 percent (from 80 percent).
- Grow our savings account.
- Eliminate credit card debt.
Rajdeep Randhawa, DDS. Innovative Dentistry (Colts Neck, N.J.): 2023 is going to be an interesting year for personal, professional and practice goals. Personally, the goals have remained the same for a long time, and these include keeping optimum mental, physical and spiritual health with an enduring enthusiasm to improve and excel personally, professionally and intellectually on a daily basis. Goals for the practice have to be adjusted according to the ever changing economic environment, so no well-defined goals are set up like corporate dentistry, where they have to be answerable to their investors and have to motivate and stress their dentists or their employees on a daily basis to achieve their goals for the whole year.
[For] independent fee-for-service dental practices, the goal is to keep the staff and patients happy and ensure everything is running at a pace where the minimum amount of stress is generated and patients get an awe-inspiring experience, some dentists calling it a "five-star experience," while providing minimally invasive cosmetic dentistry and other futuristic techniques that insurance dentists abstain [from] due to their insurance dictation/contracts.