From increased staff wages to training programs, here is what six dental industry professionals chose to invest in during 2022:
Editor's note: Responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
Ed Dallwein. CFO of Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry (Cary, N.C.): The best investment this year was the introduction of Sunbit to our practices for patient financing. Doing so has allowed us to deliver care to patients who otherwise would have been unable to afford the work they needed and increased our revenue by 4 percent year to date. It has also helped improve both patient and employee satisfaction scores.
Bradley Dykstra, DDS. CEO of MI Smiles Dental Group (Hudsonville, Mich.): My best investment this year was purchasing the office building that housed a practice we bought last year. We were fortunate enough to have done this before the interest rate started ticking upward and allowed us to expand this practice.
Sodabeh Etminan, DMD. Dental Director of Mile Square Health Center (Chicago): The best investment we have made this year has been in staff and our internal training programs. They have led to employee satisfaction and increased clinical productivity.
Lee Harris, DDS. Harris Dental Solutions (Los Angeles): As a consultant, my client's most significant investment this year has been paying staff more for their hard work and passion for their careers. Investment in the dental team that delivers satisfied patients is the best investment to grow your dental practice. Referrals from your current patients can't be beat.
Jerry Popeck, DMD. Popeck Family Dentistry (Pennsville, N.J.): The best investment would be that I was able to keep my staff in place.
David Welles. COO of Szmanda Dental Center (Wausau, Wis.): The best investment we have made this year is in increased wages and improved benefits to our most valuable asset: our team members.