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Marketing Bad Breath Treatment 1A
by Dr. John Halmaghi
Dr. John
Halmaghi is in private practice in Southfield, MI, and has been
a pioneer in cosmetic dentistry and complex dental care. A graduate
of The University of Michigan, Medical College of Ohio, and University
of Buffalo, he has maintained over ten times the national continuing
education credits, and has written and published numerous articles and
textbooks sold internationally. He loves to take on challenging cases.
Visit his website.
As a practice veteran with over 13 years of experience,
I have read and tried just about every management and marketing principle
possible. Many dental practices look for ways to increase new patient
flow by different means of advertising and marketing. Many consider
using breath treatment as a way to bring new patients through the
door, or as an alternative means of improving profit and increasing
production. One of the most common questions I have been asked by
my readers is: "Do those fresh breath clinics really make any
money?" That's really a great question if you are considering
adding this service for your practice. But let's take the time to
dissect the answer.
I have seen many so-called Breath Clinics come and
go in the last few years, and I have also seen some very profitable
practices that have used the concept of treating bad breath improve
their profit margins. I think that if anyone wants to open up a stand-alone
breath clinic, it may not survive financially; however, I believe
that each and every practice in this country should and must have
a system in place to treat halitosis. Even if you end up losing money
doing these treatments for patients, you will gain from increased
traffic flow and goodwill.
Here is what I mean. If you are going to operate a
breath clinic, then you should plan on spending at least half an hour
with these patients at their first visit. The protocol is usually
the same, and it should follow a scripted format. During this half
hour, the staff starts with a Halimeter® reading and
continues with other necessary steps such as X-Rays and periodontal
diagnosis.
If the patient denies diagnostic measures it is still
possible to educate the patient about the basics of halitosis treatment,
but the key to success is to get the patient committed to a complete
examination. Of course, some patients may be coming from other offices,
and they are not ready to switch practitioners. These patients should
not be denied treatment, because many may come back in the future
if their relationship with their existing dentists suffers.
It only takes a few minutes to show any patient the
basics of curing halitosis. The Halimeter® is an integral
part of showing the patient the severity of their problem! The fees
that you charge for this service can vary, and it is entirely up to
the practice owner. Some offices sell products such as Oxyfresh for
around $27 and give away the visit as a marketing avenue for diagnosing
other treatment. Other offices charge up to $500 for the basic visit
and necessary supplies.
In a future article I will address the benefits
and drawbacks of what you should charge for this service.
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