HENRY SCHEIN || THE 2025 INTERACTIVE PLAYBOOK TO BUILDING YOUR DENTAL PRACTICE
1. DEFINE YOUR VISION
Before you delve into opening your new practice or planning your next move, take a step back to consider why you’re making the change. If you’re refreshing a practice, is it to increase patient flow, create a more harmonious space, get a higher-ticket treatment mix or refresh your image? Once you have answered the "why," the next step is to define your vision for the practice.
A vision statement is an aspirational view that expresses your organization's high-level purpose and may include plans for the future and potential impact on you, your team, your patients and your community. This is a big-picture statement that helps others understand your ambitions and values. It goes beyond the practical steps of the services you offer, helping to articulate your dreams and how you gauge success. Your vision is intended to guide you and your team with direction, purpose and motivation.
This is a foundational element within the process. Defining a vision statement is both an essential and foundational element of starting a business. Whether you're starting a practice from scratch or embarking on the next level of growth, there are proven strategies that lay the groundwork for success.
GETTING STARTED
Some key questions to ask include:
- What motivates you to help patients?
- What types of procedures/services/specialties are you most interested in?
- What is the added value you will provide?
- Who is your ideal patient?
- What do you want patients to feel when they step into your office?
- How many patients do you want to see in a day?
- What do you want your team to take from the experience of working for you?
- What principles do you want your team to embody?
- What do you want to build — and why?
- What do you want your practice to look like in three to five years?
Find a practitioner with a thriving practice in the type of market you’re seeking and ask for their advice. Ask them to share their vision and some of the lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Sample vision
Purpose Serving as a friendly, welcoming place that gives patients confidence in their smile and their dental health
Target demographics Busy young urban working professionals who care about their smile and are likely to refer their friends and family to our practice
Team attributes Caring professionals with attention to detail who are eager to learn new skills; comfortable treating children and adults
Vibe Warm, state of the art and comfortable
Desired pace A steady flow of patients without feeling rushed