For most small business owners,the fall season coincides with the final quarter of our business year. Unlike most business owners dentist's practices can be affected by our patients' dental insurance. Most plans are calendar year plans that start on January first and end on December 31rst. When a patient's dental insurance maximum is reached many patients seek to defer treatments to the next year if possible. For patients with non urgent dental problems this strategy can work but obviously not always. If a patient needs a root canal, or has a large carious lesion, delaying dental treatment can be a poor choice that can have cause additional problems to develop that may end up costing more in the long run.
Another group of patients can have a different set of issues. Patients can put off going to the dentist because they are busy, nothing hurts, or they are afraid of what they will find out. Far to often they have dental needs that go unaddressed, as well as dental benefits that are not utilized. Every year towards the end of December we get a flurry of phone calls asking if we have time to start a crown or do a number of fillings.
Instead of waiting until December, these patients would be better off coming in October or November for their dental work, since this would allow us time to pre-certify their dental treatment plans and let us complete the work prior to the end of their benefit period. If you haven't been to the dentist in 2011, Now is a good time to call your dentist for a check up!
Fall is usually a good time of the year for us in Miami! Beautiful weather down here right now.
ReplyDeleteSo true - at my practice, we always try to remind patients to be sure to keep up with their dental care over the holidays. The first of the year is always a tough time to get an appointment because everyone has put off their visit!
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