There are many options when it comes to choosing a dentist. Dr. Rob recently sat down to discuss the difference between corporate dental chains and independent dentists and answer questions to help you decide which is best for you.
What are the differences between a corporate dental chain and independent dentists like Lipkowitz Dental Associates?
When you come to Lipkowitz Dental Associates, you see me, but when you go to a corporate practice, it’s typically like a revolving door. Patients who come here from those practices tell me they’ve been there for a couple of years and see a different doctor every time they visit. The problem with this is these doctors tend to be young and inexperienced. This tends to work for simple problems, but when they get more complicated, the lack of continuity makes it hard to get good care. In this case, it’s really better to go to someone with more experience who you’ll see at every visit.
What are some of the differences you’ve seen between the relationships you have with patients and the relationships patients have with corporate dental chains?
The relationships patients have with corporate dental chains are essentially based on time and money. A corporate dental chain may be an okay environment if they need something done quickly and want it done inexpensively, as I said before, as long as the problems are simple. On the other hand, I base my entire practice on relationships and develop a bond of trust with my patients. I develop plans with them based on their desired results and goals for their dental health. Over time, we implement those goals and I’m helping them throughout the entire process. There’s always the same person working with them over time and we do a great job helping them get to where they want to go.
Is there a difference in the materials you use and the materials corporate dental chains have access to?
There is. I know there’s a vast difference between the quality of dental labs out there. When I’m doing complex cases, I use only the labs with the best materials. For example, when you get a crown, we can pay as little as $59 or as expensive as $1,000 per unit at different dental labs, so there’s a big difference in the people who are making those crowns and the materials they’re using. When I’m doing highly complicated restorations, I’m making sure we’re using excellent labs with excellent materials. It translates to higher quality, longer lasting, better-looking restorations, and happier, healthier smiles.
Is there a difference between the customization and control of care you offer versus a corporate chain?
Corporate dental chains have very strict protocols for how they will do things. As a result, the doctors who work there have fewer choices they can offer patients and therefore patients have fewer choices as to what they can get. For example, not long ago a patient of mine came to me from there with what she said were some pretty significant gum problems. They had diagnosed that she needed four quadrants of deep scaling – which can be uncomfortable if it’s not done properly and is not an inexpensive procedure. When I saw her, though, I didn’t see the need for that. I saw the need for her to come in and have her teeth cleaned, to come back in a month to reassess things and do a fine scaling, and she was done. It was about a third of the cost and took about half of the time she would have spent if she had gone to the corporate dental chain. I think sometimes corporate dental environments try to monetize patients. What they’re focused on is, “How much money can I get out of this patient?” – and as quickly as possible – because they’re not built on long-term relationships. Patients tend not to stay in corporate dental environments for very long because they’re not treated as well as when they find a doctor they can trust.
Can you talk about the experience and expertise dentists at corporate chains have versus yours?
Corporate dental chains tend to hire a lot of young, inexperienced doctors who are coming out of school or their residency and are looking for a job. They have a lot of dental school loans so they’re not opening up their own practices. These are easy jobs to get, but they really get worked to death there. These are high-volume practices where they are pushed to produce as much dentistry as they possibly can from a dollar standpoint. So they get burnt out and don’t stay as long as they normally would if they found a place where they were happy with what they were doing. As a result, you typically get far less experienced doctors working in these corporate environments. When you come to a place like Lipkowitz Dental, you get my 30 years of experience and judgments helping you reach your goals. It’s quite a difference.
Can you share some stories about people who have come from a corporate dental environment and ended up being a Lipkowitz Dental Associates patient?
I have a great story. Several years back, I had a patient come to me. He had a very extensive treatment plan. It was a full mouth reconstruction. Just about every tooth in his mouth needed to be crowned, he had a few implants that needed to be done to replace some missing teeth, and he wanted to have a really nice smile.
He was diagnosed by a doctor at one of these corporate chains. I looked at the treatment plan and it was not a bad treatment plan. It covered all the bases, but what happened was he started going there and within his first three visits he saw three different doctors. Now, it’s hard enough dealing with complicated cases when only one person is taking it from the beginning to the end. Things happen in complicated cases and they never go as smoothly as you think. So, it’s really hard when you have two, three, or four people trying to implement the same plan, even if it’s written out in the same way because everybody does things a little bit differently. Everybody has a different idea of what good quality is and what’s acceptable. And, as I said, when you have people who don’t have a lot of experience, they’re basing their judgment on things they don’t really have knowledge of.
After coming to me, we reassessed everything for this patient. We started from scratch and we got his gums healthy. It took about a year to go through his entire plan. I must have seen him 20 times over that year, but by the time we were done, he had a spectacular smile and he was very happy. Every time he came in we just had a really nice time – I mean, it’s hard to have a good time when you’re having a lot of dentistry done, but they were relaxing appointments. Because he could trust what I was going to do for him, he wasn’t stressed. He got to know and like everyone in the practice because here, it’s really like a family. In corporate dental practices, you tend to see turnover of the administrative team too, which makes it hard to develop those relationships with the hygienist and the front desk staff.
If you’re looking for a better, more personalized experience with more continuity of care, independent dentists like Lipkowitz Dental Associates is the best choice for you. Dr. Rob bases his entire career on the fact that he can do a much better job helping people meet their dental health in a place where they can trust what they’re getting is quality care and in an environment that’s as relaxing as possible. Contact our office today to book an appointment.