Strip Mall dentists?

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eapleitez

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Hello everyone,

I'm an applicant hoping to get into school next year. While driving through town, I notice tiny little dental clinics in those little shopping areas. You know the type: They're part of one big one-story building, looks like it's just one big room, and they have a liquor store on the left and a taco restaurant on the right.
What I'm wondering is, how successful do these practices do? I myself have always gone to the regular dental office, probably becuase of internal prejudice that tells me that a higher quality building might mean higher quality work, which I know inside most likely does not have a correlation.

Opinions?

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eapleitez said:
Hello everyone,

I'm an applicant hoping to get into school next year. While driving through town, I notice tiny little dental clinics in those little shopping areas. You know the type: They're part of one big one-story building, looks like it's just one big room, and they have a liquor store on the left and a taco restaurant on the right.
What I'm wondering is, how successful do these practices do? I myself have always gone to the regular dental office, probably becuase of internal prejudice that tells me that a higher quality building might mean higher quality work, which I know inside most likely does not have a correlation.

Opinions?

strip mall dentists are actually better dentists.
 
I see your from Downey.

Have you ever driven through downtown LA, Garden Grove, Westminister, Irvine, or anywhere else in SoCal for that matter?

They're loaded with Dental shops side by side a Rubio Fish Tacos joint or a supermarket. It the most common type of practice here.

And if you intend to serve the Hispanic community, you'll be a strip-mall dentist too.

These guys make alot of money because they work fast. I've shadowed these guys and realize they are all extremely independent, never get stressed, and work FAST.

The reason why they have to work fast is because they give out deals like, "Root Canals 50% Off this Month Only!" Thus, their patient volume is high.

They've all told me in order to survive as a GP in SoCal, you have to give discounts on your procedures. The dental market is flooded and you are easily substitutable.

Also, there's no procedure these guys won't do. They never refer out. They're like cowboys or the "Dentist's Dentist." Most of these guys take some continuing ed course in ortho and feel like they're just as good as a specialist.

I've learned alot by shadowing these guys, and plan to own a chain of Dental-Costcos. I'm gonna wholesale my services, advertise like crazy, and drive out the competition.
 
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briansle said:
They've all told me in order to survive as a GP in SoCal, you have to give discounts on your procedures. The dental market is flooded and you are easily substitutable.

This is not true. If it was all the dentists who target the middle to upper class markets would be out of business. Not to mention dentists who provide high quality cosmetic services. They have found their niche and supposedly it suits them. There are dozens of niches. Your competition is within your niche. If you want to be a strip mall/medicaid/HMO type of dentist you will have to compete with them. You're not going to be competing with the middle to high end practices because they attract a different patient base. Realize that you should determine what type of patient you want to serve. Some people like dealing with lower socioeconomic classes. Others like dealing with middle class. And then some like working with wealthy people. (There are many other divisions of course) If you pick a patient type that is not compatible with your personality you're probably not going to succeed. You can't have a successfull dental practice that provides dentistry to everybody. You need to know your market.
 
Next to a taco stand and liquor store? Where do I sign up?
 
flat4 said:
Next to a taco stand and liquor store? Where do I sign up?


I love tacos and beer.
 
eapleitez said:
I myself have always gone to the regular dental office, probably becuase of internal prejudice that tells me that a higher quality building might mean higher quality work, ?

Ain't safe there either. :)

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/artic.../BAGOFFF9FP1.DTL&hw=david+gong&sn=001&sc=1000

Witnesses told police that Abje walked up to Gong at 7:50 a.m. about a block from the medical building at 2000 Van Ness Ave. where the dentist had practiced for 26 years.

"You remember me?" the killer asked Gong, according to one witness, Nahum Selaya. The gunman then opened fire.
 
flat4 said:
Next to a taco stand and liquor store? Where do I sign up?

one of the seldom moments where I actually cracked a smile on this site...thank you.
 
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