Beyond the Prizes: Updating Your Practice to Attract Kids and Parents!

If you’re working with children at your practice, it may surprise you to learn that good pediatric care isn’t always enough to retain patients. That’s because attracting and retaining pediatric patients requires impressing the parents, too. With some parents being extremely protective and guarded, their experience at your practice is almost as important as their child. SmileMakers knows that creating a trustworthy family practice is a priority for most dentists, so we’ve gathered a few ideas to help you appeal to even the most anxious parents.

Beyond the Prizes: Updating Your Practice to Attract Kids and Parents!

Design Your Practice With the Whole Family in Mind
Research has shown that children are not drawn to bland, sterile practices, but you may not realize that parents avoid that aesthetic, too. Because parents are protective and always looking out for their children, they are looking for a practice that shows the same concern for children as adults. This is why the details matter. What children may overlook, parents do not. There’s no sure method for enticing anxious parents, but they do look for features like children’s play areas, TVs, and fun wall murals that indicate you don’t just accept children, you cherish them. Decor really matters. Having an operatory that is designed specifically for kids does a lot to assuage fears for parents. They’ll recognize that you’ve put thought into accommodating and welcoming their children. It also helps to have a waiting area designed for parents, close to both the play area and the operatory, where they can monitor their children at all times.

Beyond the Prizes: Updating Your Practice to Attract Kids and Parents!

Create an Eye-catching and Evocative Website
With almost every dental practice now featuring a website, creating an eye-catching and well-designed site has become even more important. It’s almost assured that parents will check online when deciding on a practice for their family. This is why it’s important that your website projects the same atmosphere as your practice. Since your website is an extension of your practice, it should have the same quality aesthetic you portray in the office. Bright colors, interesting fonts, and inviting images will catch a parent’s attention just like good decor does in real life. Observant and protective parents will search for important details on your site, so make them available. Have your credentials, doctor and staff bios, and services accessible and easy to find.

Beyond the Prizes: Updating Your Practice to Attract Kids and Parents!

Update your practice equipment
If you’re trying to upgrade your practice to accommodate younger patients, it’s worth considering upgrading all your practice essentials, too. With the ease of online customization, you can now personalize your practice in ways that will impress kids and their parents. New Zooby prophy angles, prophy paste or lip balm can all help set the tone of the practice and help you stand out from your competition. To watchful parents, the small details are memorable. Giving take-home bags and other fun prizes, or dispensing prizes through capsule machines, leave a lasting impression and result in return visits!

Looking for other ways to retain families at your practice? Take-home gifts matter too!
While parents are noting all the amenities your office provides, they also will notice everything their child takes home, too. Whether you’re offering custom take-home bags that promote your practice or dental kits they can use at home, going the extra mile can make all the difference.