5 Things Every Dental Practice Should Be Investing In

If your dental practice is saving money with smarter supply ordering, the next question is simple: where should those savings go? The best dental practice investments usually fall into five categories: marketing, patient experience, professional visuals, team retention, and better business systems. The goal is not to spend more just because you can. The goal is to invest in areas that help the practice grow, save time, reduce stress, and create a better patient experience.‍

Recently, we’ve been pounding on why having a smart inventory management system like ZenOne is so important for dental practices, and just how much money there is to be saved simply by having access to real-time price comparisons. And while that’s certainly all well and good, today we want to talk about what you can do with those savings once you have them.

Sure, it’s great to put the money you save away, pay off your building’s mortgage a little quicker, or buy that shiny new tech you’ve had your eye on for so long. But there’s a problem with some of those choices: they may not help drive revenue for your practice. When allocating your savings, it’s critical to invest in things that help you attract new patients, keep your team motivated, improve daily operations, and make the practice stronger long term.

That being said, here are five smart dental practice investments to consider if you’re not already making them. And if you haven’t worked with us yet, well, then consider these ideas for the future!

1. Marketing

These days, simply having a well-made sign that says your name and “D.D.S.” next to it isn’t enough to draw in new patients. The practices that grow are usually the ones with a strong web presence, clear messaging, and consistent patient engagement. That doesn’t mean you have to hire a fancy ad agency to build a “cross-channel marketing campaign” or even bring on a full-time marketing employee. It can be much simpler than that.

Put shortly, social media has made marketing easy and affordable for just about everyone. Simply by having a social media presence where you actively engage, entertain, or educate your audience two to three times a week, you can spread your practice’s name and stay top-of-mind in your community. If you do it really well, you may even start attracting new patients.

We recommend focusing on Facebook and Instagram exclusively to start. Consider Facebook the place where you promote deals and discounts, share patient stories, and post helpful articles. The key here is quality of content. Only share or write things you would read yourself.

Conversely, look at Instagram as the place to tell your own story. Give viewers a window into you and your staff’s personalities and daily lives: community events, sponsorships, office culture, employee highlights, and behind-the-scenes moments. Because Instagram is a platform with very little, if any, direct self-promotion, avoid constantly selling there. That can be an immediate turnoff for potential followers. If you want to promote your practice, a current offer, or your new website, do so on Facebook where it’s far more customary. You can even “boost” posts by backing them with small amounts of money — $1, $3, $5, etc. — to increase their reach.

For beginners, My Social Practice is a great resource for free advice and tips on how to best leverage social media. And if you’re feeling extra ambitious, start a blog on your website where each week you share helpful insider tips, answer common patient questions, or tell an inspiring story about how you helped transform a patient’s smile. The more quality content you share, the better.

A quick brand note: if your logo, website, or signage feels outdated, marketing may also be the right place to refresh it. You don’t have to redesign everything at once, but your visual brand should make new patients feel like your practice is current, trustworthy, and professional.

2. Interior Remodeling

No, we don’t mean “remodel your whole office top to bottom through a contractor.” That would be unnecessary and expensive, and it would probably defeat the purpose of this post. Rather, focus on the look of your reception area and what could be better about it. Is it welcoming in its appearance? Are there comfortable places for patients to sit? Is it a room you would enjoy waiting in? If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” or you have to spend more than a few seconds thinking about it, then your reception area likely needs some updating.

When you have a break in your day, or perhaps at the end of one, have someone who knows you well and has a good eye for things assess your reception area. It could be a friend, patient, or someone you know with interior design experience. Ask them what feels most uninviting, outdated, or distracting. Then, replace or update those things according to your budget.

Whether it’s getting a new waiting room sofa at HomeGoods, installing simple shelves to hold decorations, adding warmer lighting, or giving the room a new, more calming paint color, there are plenty of affordable things you can do to improve the look and feel of your reception area for patients. And if this feels like a non-essential project, just remember that your reception area is often where new patients develop their first impression of your office. Pretty important, if you ask us.

3. Professional Photography

We don’t want to assume, but if you’re like many practices, you may still have a few anatomical diagrams of teeth or macro photos of mouths hanging up somewhere in your office. Our advice? Get rid of them if they make the office feel cold, clinical, or intimidating. Images like these can be a turnoff for new patients and may be part of the reason why so many people, especially kids, feel nervous about going to the dentist.

Once you’ve done that, hire a professional photographer, or simply use your personal network to find someone with photography skills and experience. Prior to their upcoming appointments, ask seven to ten of your patients if they’d be willing to have their picture taken while they’re there. You can even incentivize them with a $5 to $10 gift card for participating.

Be thoughtful in which patients you select. Consider patients who would be comfortable, willing, and inclined to smile for these pictures. Make sure you have a few pictures taken of each patient so you’ll have options to choose from: different rooms, different angles, with or without you or another employee in the shot, etc.

Then, after selecting your favorites, have them developed as large prints — portrait or landscape — and hang them on your walls. Now, the next time patients walk through your office, they’ll see other smiling patients instead of weird diagrams of the human mouth. Much more inviting, right?

4. Team Dinner

Attending a seminar dinner or having a distributor you partner with wine and dine you is one thing. Taking your team out on your own dollar is entirely different. It shows that you care about your practice and that you care about them individually.

It doesn’t have to be at the fanciest, most expensive steakhouse in the area. Personally taking your team out to dinner can only bring positive things. Not only will team members feel appreciated and valued, but it can also contribute to their motivation levels at work. And as a practicing dentist and team leader, maintaining your team’s motivation is critical to your practice’s success.

But don’t let that be the only reason you take your team out to dinner. Do it because you care about them and want to take time to connect outside of work. The benefits from doing this will be immediately evident in the morale and camaraderie your team gains from it.

5. Supply Ordering and Inventory Systems

Dental supplies are easy to overlook because they feel like a routine expense. But poor ordering systems can quietly create major problems: rush orders, overstocked shelves, missing items, duplicate purchases, confusing vendor pricing, and staff members wasting time jumping between supplier websites.

If your practice is saving money, one of the smartest places to reinvest is in better business systems — especially the systems that affect your supply ordering and inventory. A centralized ordering and inventory process helps your team compare prices, track stock, avoid last-minute scrambles, and make better decisions about what to buy and when to buy it.

This kind of investment does more than lower supply costs. It can also make the workday feel calmer. Dental assistants and office managers no longer have to rely on memory, sticky notes, or scattered spreadsheets to know what the practice needs. Doctors get better visibility into spending. Patients benefit because the supplies needed for care are available when they should be.

In other words, better inventory systems are not just an operations upgrade. They are a growth investment. When your team spends less time chasing supplies and more time supporting patients, the whole practice runs better.

How to Decide If an Investment Is Worth It

Before you spend your savings, ask a few simple questions. A smart dental practice investment should do at least one of the following:

• Save staff time
• Reduce avoidable costs
• Improve the patient experience
• Help attract or retain patients
• Make the team’s work easier
• Create a return you can measure within 90 days

If the investment checks more than one of those boxes, it is probably worth serious consideration. If it only looks nice but does not help the practice grow, operate better, or serve patients more effectively, it may be better to wait.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should a dental practice invest in first?

Start with the investment that solves the biggest bottleneck in your practice. For some offices, that may be marketing to attract new patients. For others, it may be better inventory systems, team retention, or patient experience improvements.

How can dental practices reinvest supply savings?

Dental practices can reinvest supply savings into marketing, reception area updates, professional photography, team appreciation, and better ordering or inventory systems. The best choice is the one that helps the practice grow while making daily operations easier.

Why are inventory systems a smart investment for dental practices?

Inventory systems help practices reduce wasted supplies, compare pricing, avoid stockouts, and save staff time. They also give owners and managers better visibility into one of the practice’s most common recurring expenses.

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We hope these tips for reinvesting your savings with ZenOne back into your practice were helpful and inspiring. If you invest in the right areas, your practice can continue to grow, your team can work with less stress, and your patients can enjoy a more consistent, welcoming experience.

‍As always, if you have yet to work with us or don’t know much about ZenOne, consider this your reminder that smarter supply ordering can create savings you can put right back into the practice.