Building A Dental Clinic For Dummies

Have you decided you want to build a new dental practice in the United States but you’re not sure where to start? We get it, it can be a bit of an overwhelming experience, particularly if it’s your first time doing so.

But with careful planning and methodical organization, you can build a practice that will be the envy of others in your town or city.

It does take an organized approach to realize your dreams, however, so keep this in mind and follow the blueprint in front of you to realize success when constructing your own dental practice.

Step 1: Find a Location

When scouting for the best location, you’ll want to think about things like:

• What neighborhood do I want to be located in?
• How much square footage will I need?
• Do I want to construct a building from scratch or renovate an existing building?
• What’s the competition like in the general area?
• Is there a lot of foot traffic in the area that could lead to walk-in business?
• Is there enough parking available?

Step 2: What Equipment Am I Going To Need?

This will be one of your most expensive upfront costs when beginning your own practice. But you can’t run a dental practice without having the necessary equipment, so it’s a necessary evil.

What will you need? Here’s a partial list…

• Medical Equipment
• Computer Equipment
• Software
• Medical Supplies
• Furniture
• Office Supplies

Shop around and see if you can save a few bucks here and there. But don’t be too thrifty or it’s going to be noticed by your patients.

Step 3: Obtain Financing

Once you’ve found space and determined what your upfront costs are going to be, you’ll need to begin exploring financing options.

Create a business plan and be prepared to go over this and other financial matters with the loan officer at your bank or credit union of choice.

The average dental practice in the United States requires around $500,000 in upfront costs. While this sounds like a huge figure, and it is, this is the reality of opening a dental practice in America.

But if you have a well-written business plan and a good attorney, you should be able to obtain the financing you’ll need to open a successful practice.

Step 4: Hire Your Staff

 Once you have your financing in place, you’ll want to begin looking for staff. Sometimes hiring a staff can be done rather quickly, but sometimes it will take a good deal of time.

Because of this uncertainty, it’s good to begin searching sooner rather than later.

You’ll need people that include:

• Another Dentist (if you’re taking on a partner)
• An Office Manager
• A Billing Specialist
• Dental Assistants
• A Receptionist
• A Custodian or Cleaning Crew
• An IT Person
• A Marketing Specialist

Determine what you’re willing to pay for each position and begin searching for the staff that will help you become successful in your business.

Step 5: Obtain Necessary Permits and Licenses

Before you open your practice, you’ll need to make sure you have all of the permits, licenses and paperwork in place to legally do so.

This varies from state to state so you’ll want to do your homework and be sure that all of your Is are dotted and Ts are crossed before putting the “Open” sign on the door.

Some of the things you’ll need include:

• A Business License
• A Tax Identification Number
• Business Organization Papers

This is obviously a generalized list and actually putting it into action can involve a lot of nuances and different situations that will come up from time to time.

Just be sure to think things through and take matters one step at a time. Doing so will help you achieve success with your new dental practice.

Good luck!