A major survey of consumer attitudes towards local dentists and dentistry conducted by 1-800-DENTIST®, the nation’s leading free dental referral service, found that the cleanliness of a dental office is one of the key reasons a patient will reappoint with that dentist.
The Los Angeles-based dental referral company conducted its nationwide survey as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to meeting the evolving needs of today’s dental patients, whether it’s braces for adults, emergency dental care or oral hygiene checkups. Among the survey’s most revealing insights was the degree that office cleanliness plays in determining whether a patient will return to a dentist. Nine out of ten of consumers surveyed ranked cleanliness as a key reason why they would come back to the same dentist for a follow-up appointment.
1-800-DENTIST’s survey clearly illustrates the importance of office cleanliness to patients. It is one of the top three reasons patients reappoint with a dentist. The only factors patients rated as higher priorities when deciding whether or not they would go back to a dental office were the quality of the dentist’s work and a clear explanation of the difference between required and optional dental treatments. Interestingly, patients consider a clean office more important than the gentleness of the dentist and wait times for appointments.
“We’re very successful at matching people to dentists because we do our homework on what matters most to patients,” said Fred Joyal, founder of 1-800-DENTIST. “Take office cleanliness for example. Our research shows that patients are significantly happier with dentists whose offices meet the highest standards for cleanliness. So, we naturally focus on ensuring that every dentist we refer lives up to the consumer’s expectations in this key regard.”
“1-800-DENTIST’s understanding of consumer ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ is unique in the dental field,” Joyal continued. “It’s the reason we are unrivaled in our ability to match people to good dentists — ones patients like and trust enough to visit again and again.”
About 1-800-DENTIST
1-800-DENTIST® is the nation’s leading free dental referral service. Since 1986, the Los Angeles-based company has helped over 7 million people find their perfect dentist. Thousands of consumers contact 1-800-DENTIST every day via the company’s 24-hour call center and its website, 1800dentist.com. In addition to helping people find quality dental care in their community, 1-800-DENTIST offers dentists specialized tools to help them manage their practices and communicate better with their patients. For more information, visit 1800dentist.com.
