The truth is simple: you don’t have to follow the herd.
Right now, organized dentistry (whether it’s corporate groups, DSOs, or insurance-based practices) has moved toward volume-driven, transaction-based care. Relationships? Forget it. It’s all about pushing patients through, and the whole thing becomes a numbers game. Clinical integrity, connection, long-term health outcomes – those aspects have taken a backseat.
But you’re different. You’ve got something that those high-volume machines don’t: your practice identity.
And that identity? It’s everything – that is if you…
Prioritize Your Practice Identity
Here’s the deal: If you don’t define your practice, the industry will define it for you. And let me tell you, if you fall into the trap of defaulting to what the rest of the industry is doing, you lose.
Corporate dentistry, DSOs, insurance-driven models – they aim to commoditize care. But your superpower is building relationships, delivering high-quality care, and focusing on long-term patient outcomes.
That’s something corporate dentistry simply can’t replicate.
And here’s where the opportunity gets even better: as corporate dentistry grows, pushing their one-size-fits-all approach, you can widen the gap. The more they lean into volume and standardization, the more room there is for you to stand out with personalized, relationship-based care.
That gap? It’s your opportunity to create something unique.
Build a Relationship-Driven Practice
Every successful business gets this. Look at the mom-and-pop shops versus Amazon, or chef-driven restaurants versus fast-food chains. The best ones are personality-led, relationship-based, and premium-priced. That’s where you need to be.
Patients don’t want to be just another number. Not everyone is looking for the lowest price – they’re, however, looking for value. And value doesn’t come from cheap, quick-turnaround dentistry. It comes from meaningful relationships where patients feel like their long-term health is a priority.
This isn’t about serving only the wealthy. It’s about attracting patients from a cross-section of the marketplace who appreciate quality. Patients who value trust, connection, and health outcomes.
And when patients feel that connection, they’ll gladly pay a premium for the care you offer – because it’s rare.
When you focus on relationships and long-term care, you set yourself apart from the industry’s default model. You don’t need to play the price game. You don’t need to chase volume. What you need is to deliver value that resonates with the right patients.
Go Against the Grain
So what’s the biggest mistake? It’s falling into the trap of following the trends. Corporate dentistry, DSOs, and insurance-driven models are running the race for volume over quality. They’re slashing prices, standardizing care, and making dentistry a commodity.
That’s not for you.
You need to go against these trends. Be laser-focused on how you position your practice. Don’t let outside forces set your agenda – you set your own agenda. What kind of care do you want to provide? Who do you want to serve? These are the questions that define your path forward.
This is where you need to be high-maintenance about your mission. Don’t compromise.
The practices that are winning today are those that have increased their fees, stepped away from the insurance game, and are generating more from less. They’re not chasing after volume – they’re focusing on the experience to create value.
That’s the winning formula.
Why This Matters: Protecting Your Future
Let me tell you why all of this matters so much.
If you’re following the trends, you’re on a slippery slope. The more you lean into volume-based care, the more your practice sacrifices its clinical philosophy and loses its identity. The moment you start competing on price, you become just another commodity. You lose your differentiation, and worse, you lose the ability to control your patients’ health and your practice future.
But when you set your practice apart, when you stay true to your mission and create an identity based on relationships, quality, and long-term care, you’re building something that lasts. Something that withstands the industry’s ebbs and flows. Something that allows you to run your practice on your own terms.
Position Your Practice to Win
Now let’s talk about positioning.
If you want to attract the patients who value what you do, you have to run your practice your way. This is the key: when you build the right kind of experience (one rooted in your mission), you’ll start to magnetic attract the patients who appreciate it.
You won’t be chasing patients. They’ll come to you.
Why? Because patients can tell the difference between a practice that’s just running them through the system and one that’s about long-term health and relationships. And here’s the best part: those are the patients who are willing to pay for premium care. They’re willing to invest in their health – and they’ll gladly invest in you.
That’s where your power lies. Not in seeing more patients. Not in offering lower fees. But in creating a relationship-based experience where patients value the care you provide and are willing to pay for quality.
Create Your Own Path
At the end of the day, this is about building your own path. Industry trends? Forget them. You’ve got something more powerful: your own identity, your own mission, your own vision.
Position your practice in a way that resonates with the patients you want to serve. Focus on relationships, quality care, and long-term outcomes. Be intentional, and let the corporate practices chase volume and price.
You’re here to stand out. So stand up and declare your own path forward.
Respectfully,
Scott J. Manning, MBA
