How to Choose a Location For Your Dental Office?

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Location Navigation Destination Journey Position Concept

When you open a dental office, there are many things you have to decide upon. From your staff team to interior decor, equipment for use, and most importantly, its location. Though you can eventually consider changing, location is not an easy thing to change. Hence, a lot of deliberation must go in deciding where to open your dental office.

We have provided many essential factors in this article that will arm you with the vital knowledge you need for taking a well-informed decision for a strategically located dental dental office.

Factors to Consider While Choosing a Location

You might have a modern and full-services office, but if you missed some real estate data like how easy the parking lot of your dental office can be accessed, does it connect to other neighboring shopping centers, etc., you are most likely to lose on customers.

Here are a few important factors which you must consider in choosing a site for your office that takes care of the short and long term goals of your practice:

  • Demographics – If you use demographic data to find a site, you will be placed in a locality with families and individuals who match the profile of your ideal patients. To know the story of who lives in the area and narrow down your search fields, you need to know the following data:
    • What is the size of households in the area?
    • Ethnicity of families around the location.
    • The median income of the household.
    • Whether the households have private insurance or not.
    • The average age of people around.

Since most people prefer going to dentists close to their house, it is critical to find out the details mentioned above to have a flourishing practice.

  • Local competition – You might feel that an upscale area where people can easily pay their bills is a dream place for your dental office. In that case, you must know that other dentists feel the same. Consider the ratio of dentists to residents in your area to gauge how your business will take shape. 
  • Accessibility and signage – Is it easy for patients to navigate traffic patterns to reach your parking lot? Is the building in a busy street or tucked away out of sight? By looking at buildings around the area, you would see if they might bring in business commuters. You should also look at where the sign for your dental office would be located as traffic on the road acts as a free advertisement.
  • Non-compete – If you have signed a non-compete agreement with a practice you earlier worked to gain experience, then you must understand its legal constraints while choosing an area. There are many states where non-compete is illegal, but you need to know your state laws before deciding.
  • Shopping center or Medical/Dental Buildings – Both shopping centers and thriving medical/dental buildings have their own pros and cons. Your dental office would be highly visible in a shopping centre, and a dental building might overlook your practice as there are many other dental practices around. At the same time, a dental or medical building will give you an opportunity for an immediate recommendation from other doctors around, more so if you offer a specialty that gets referrals.

An ideal locality for a dentist is to be in an area that has professionals and a community that provides a support system to the dentistry profession. We would recommend that you closely analyze aforementioned points before finalizing the location for your practice.