Reunited With a Patient

A few weeks ago, Miriam, our front desk team member, told me that the police were here and wanted to talk to me at the front desk.

I walked over and 2 policemen were standing at the front desk. The second that I saw him, I recognized him. He is now 30 years old and the last time I saw him he was a 16-year-old teenager.

I began seeing him when he was about 5 or 6. His parents were patients of mine for years. His parents wanted to stay in the practice, but their employer had changed their insurance and were covering virtually nothing for their appointments.

Even after the family left the practice, I would talk to the father once and a while. He would call for dental advice.

These types of things happen, and I never take it personally.

Now his son is on his own insurance and wants to come back to Dente. He said that he’s been to other dentists but has yet to feel the way we made him feel. He said he felt taken care of here.

We hear this a lot. And I can tell you exactly why that is. We’re a family-owned dental practice.

You’re probably asking yourself, “Well, isn’t every dental office owned by the dentist who works there?” And the answer to that, is NO.

The family-owned dental practice is a dying business model. Most offices that we are seeing nowadays are the corporate model.

A big wall street venture capital firm comes in and begins buying up all of the dental offices. They hire the dentist and if they’re lucky, they get 2 years out of them. Then they hire another one and another one.

Every time you go to your dental appointments, you see a different dentist. This becomes very disheartening because you can’t establish a relationship with your dentist. They keep leaving.

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Also, I can tell you that when you personally own the practice, you treat it differently than when you’re an employee dentist. It’s just the way it is. You’re going to treat it with more love.

And that love is felt the second you walk in. It’s contagious.

The front desk answers the phone nicer and with the goal of helping the other person on that line.

Every team member in the practice greets the patient warmly and compassionately.

And that patient’s care is followed for years and years by the same dentist. No jumping around from a different dentist to a different dentist.

Many of our patients have been with us for 20 plus years. And our secret sauce is that WE CARE.

If you are looking for a family-owned dental office and have the same dentist treat you for all of your care, please visit us at mydente.com or call 773-292-1911 to schedule your appointment.

Floss Like a Madman!

Emilio “Your Family Dentist” Couret

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