"Building a Successful Dental Practice: Tips for the Young Dentist"

We were lucky to catch up with Rose Le recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Rose thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory of how you established your own practice.

Prior to opening my very own dental office, I worked as an associate dentist for 7 years. I lived in Boston, Massachusetts before transplanting to Sarasota Florida. I would’ve opened sooner but I had to care for my late husband, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer and has passed in 2019. Since then I worked and saved. I put my life savings into opening Rose Dental at Lakewood Ranch in August 2021.

I would say I was more prepared opening later after years working as an associate, it allowed me to hone my skills. Advice for the young professionals, take continuing education courses and reinvest in yourself, that is the best investment. I took countless CE courses such as Invisalign, implant fellowship, cosmetic dentistry and cosmetic injections. Opening later allowed me to learn what is needed for a dental office. From licensing, permits, equipments and staffing, you are in control of what you need for your dental office. Make sure who you hire gets along with each other and will better your team as a whole.

Another thing I would recommend doing is to start out small. I took out loans for equipments only, there are lenders that will lend to small businesses to purchase equipment. When your practice grows so does your profit and your team. I take that profit and reinvest that back into my practice to buy more equipment needed for a growing practice. You will not feel the pressure of producing and the pinch of paying off a large loan and the overhead expenses to keep your office afloat. I worked part time elsewhere until I was needed at my practice full time. In less than one year of opening my practice I left that part time job and went full time at my office. I was the dentist, hygienist, and practice owner. My team started with 3 people the first year, 5 the second year and 7 the beginning of our third year.

Another important factor is if you are able to purchase your building or condo in the future. See if you can write that in your lease contract. First right of refusal. Rent will increase 3-5% every year, it does not matter where you practice, I’ve practiced in a business on the third floor in Boston and patients still found me. My current practice is hidden in a dead end (literally the dead end), but word of mouth gets around, invest in postcard advertisement and google ads your first year. Give your patient that quality care they deserve, each patient that walk in your door will become your advocate.

What I would do different is budgeting better and I recommend working interviews for your future staff. I made a mistake of hiring without a working interview, don’t just hire base on their CV credentials. You have to see if the person you hire has great chemistry with your team. Patient’s are smart, they are aware of their surroundings and they can sense your team’s chemistry. Your team is what will make it successful. Respect your teammates, your staff and they will give you that same respect.

Rose, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My husband Dr. Steve Ta inspired me to open my practice. He had faith and believed in me and would catch me if I fell. I am fortunate enough to have met such an awesome human being.

I didn’t always know I was going to be a dentist. I was a nail technician and did that for 18 years. How can that be? The nails salon belonged to my parents and I started at 15 years old sculpting acrylic nails at their salon, putting myself through school. I finished my Masters of Science in Biomedical Sciences, I did a year in Pharmacy school and realized this wasn’t for me and switched majors and went into dental school. Best decision I’ve ever made for myself. I became top 10 in clinical proficiency in my dental class. I decided to hone in on my skills and went into a residency program at the Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda California. Since then I kept up with hundreds of hours of continuing education.

I believe what sets me apart from the many dentist is what I can offer at my practice. I am all about the quality. The materials I use are made in America, Germany and Switzerland. I have been doing same day crowns for about 7 years plus and our patient appreciate we can make their crowns in one day. I offer the highest grade Porcelain Veneers made by Master Ceramists. When you provide that kind of quality, your patients will appreciate the standards you have set. I don’t take shortcuts, but I plan the cases to make sure my patient will be satisfied with their smile makeover. I am proud of all the smile makeovers we have done since opening. What a joy it brings to my patients and I. But I am most proud of what Rose Dental at Lakewood Ranch has become and we have room to grow. If you are looking for an honest and high quality practice we are it.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

Remember every patient that walks through your door is a person who can vouch for you. We grew so fast to a point me are booked out with new patients 6 months from now. Quality is so important. I use to work in a high volume office and I noticed the quality is not where it needs to be, the quality of clinical work was also affected. But with a quality care dental office, the practitioner spends more time with the patient therefore the workmanship is far more superior than a high volume office. Our patients are our walking advertisement when it came to our third year, but I would recommend investing in your first and second year on Google Ads, postcard ads and going out into your Chamber of Commerce to network. Social Media is a must have in this day and age.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

There are two type of general practitioners. Your general dentist that does only bread and butter. What is bread and butter? This is purely your basic dental needs such as crowns, fillings, extractions, dentures and partials. And there are your renaissance dentists which are your cosmetic & general dentist. Becoming a general & cosmetic dentist allowed me to go further than just bread and butter, with hundreds of hours of continuing education throughout my 10 years of being a clinical practitioner, I am able to do cosmetic porcelain veneers and crowns, full mouth restorations, dental implants, Invisalign, Dental sleep apnea, Botox, Dermal fillers and so much more.

You have to set yourself apart from your typical dentist. Not only are you a clinical practitioner but you become an entrepreneur. A business owner with employees to care for. I would encourage to learn how to communicate with your patient, learn to listen to their concerns, their chief complaints, address why they came to see you. Patients need to feel that they can trust you. Our oral cavity is such an intimate area, patients need to trust you and we want to make sure what we recommend is ethical and standard of care.

Investing in yourself is the most priceless thing you can do for yourself and communication with your patient needs to be honest and transparent. These are two things that will make you a successful practitioner.

Contact Info:

Website: rosedentalfl.com

Instagram: rosedentalfl

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosedentalfl

Image Credits

Sam Silver, Dr. Rose Le