Workers were all smiles Friday as they waited to offer sugary slices of cake and free toothbrushes during the grand opening of the state's first Perfect Dental office.
Perfect Dental Management CEO Dmitry Burshteyn said his company handles the business functions of dental offices, allowing dentists to concentrate more of their time on their patients.
“If you don't divide it up, the doctor is responsible for everything,” Burshteyn said before the grand opening at 581 Second St.
He called it the “global local approach.”
More dental offices in New Hampshire are going corporate, either by owning or helping manage some functions of dental practices, according to Peter Welnak, president of the New Hampshire Dental Society.
“It comes in every different flavor,” said Welnak, an independent dentist in Keene.
Some companies own a string of dentist offices while others, such as Aspen Dental, provide support services to independently owned and operated dental practices.
But not everybody is going corporate.
Less than a mile from the new Perfect Dental, Mary Perez is managing the office of Dr. James Katib, who also owns another office under a different name in Lawrence, Mass. Star Dental opened at 50 S. Main St. last March.
Perez said she has worked for those who handle all their business and others who sign on with a management firm.
“I've seen a little bit of both worlds,” she said. “When you work with a smaller office, you can work with your patients better, and they don't feel like a number.”
Some consider it part of the changing landscape of medicine and dentistry.
“The growth of this model is very much in line with the overall state of the health-care industry, which is undergoing a fundamental shift as patients are demanding more choice and better access to high-quality care,” said Pat Simon, senior manager of public relations at Aspen Dental Management Inc. in East Syracuse, N.Y. “This rise in consumerism means that traditional delivery models are giving way to patient-centric models that focus on making care more accessible and affordable.”
Dentists operating under the “Aspen Dental” trademark contract for services, such as billing and advertising. Aspen operates 12 offices in New Hampshire, from Seabrook to West Lebanon.
“You need look no further than your own community to see health-care consumerism in action: There's been a huge increase in the number of in-store medical clinics, urgent care centers and retail vision care practices,” he said. “Consumers have come to expect choice and access when it comes to health care, and dental care is no different.”
Welnak said consumers need to decide what they are looking for.
“You have to look at every individual dentist like me and every corporate organization like Aspen. Think of it in terms of marketing. They have a market niche they're going after,” he said.
“Not every patient desires the same level of care. Some people like the real high end cosmetic dentistry,” Welnak said.
“They want those white Chiclet teeth. Others don't care and just want to be able to eat their dinner.”
Welnak said people shouldn't find a wide gap in pricing.
And Perfect Dental's Burshteyn said: “I can't say we're any more cheaper or any more expensive. It's a different level of service we can provide because everyone in the office is closely focused on the patient.”
Perez said Star Dental often tries to match or beat written treatment estimates from other dentists. She also said she thinks dentists not dealing with a corporate entity can make decisions quicker.
Aspen's Simon said Aspen offers free new patient exam and X-rays for those without insurance as well as price guarantees and senior discounts.
Welnak said many new dental graduates are deciding to skip opening their own shops.
“About a third of recent grads at dentist schools go to work for some sort of corporate entity, and we think that's due to the debt burden these students have,” he said, noting the average student debt surpasses $200,000.
Welnak said it's “a less risky way to get a start,” and they can make money quicker to start paying toward student loans, he said.
At Perfect Dental, one dentist owns all 11 offices in Massachusetts. A different dentist, Rushabh Doshi, owns the Manchester practice, which will start out with two dentists when it expects to open this week.
And in what could put smiles on the faces of some patients, those sitting in Perfect Dental's patient chairs, when not viewing their dental X-rays on a flat-screen television, can watch their favorite show on cable.
“And we give you the remote,” Burshteyn said. “You can control it.”
Perfect Dental Management CEO Dmitry Burshteyn said his company handles the business functions of dental offices, allowing dentists to concentrate more of their time on their patients.
“If you don't divide it up, the doctor is responsible for everything,” Burshteyn said before the grand opening at 581 Second St.
He called it the “global local approach.”
More dental offices in New Hampshire are going corporate, either by owning or helping manage some functions of dental practices, according to Peter Welnak, president of the New Hampshire Dental Society.
“It comes in every different flavor,” said Welnak, an independent dentist in Keene.
Some companies own a string of dentist offices while others, such as Aspen Dental, provide support services to independently owned and operated dental practices.
But not everybody is going corporate.
Less than a mile from the new Perfect Dental, Mary Perez is managing the office of Dr. James Katib, who also owns another office under a different name in Lawrence, Mass. Star Dental opened at 50 S. Main St. last March.
Perez said she has worked for those who handle all their business and others who sign on with a management firm.
“I've seen a little bit of both worlds,” she said. “When you work with a smaller office, you can work with your patients better, and they don't feel like a number.”
Some consider it part of the changing landscape of medicine and dentistry.
“The growth of this model is very much in line with the overall state of the health-care industry, which is undergoing a fundamental shift as patients are demanding more choice and better access to high-quality care,” said Pat Simon, senior manager of public relations at Aspen Dental Management Inc. in East Syracuse, N.Y. “This rise in consumerism means that traditional delivery models are giving way to patient-centric models that focus on making care more accessible and affordable.”
Dentists operating under the “Aspen Dental” trademark contract for services, such as billing and advertising. Aspen operates 12 offices in New Hampshire, from Seabrook to West Lebanon.
“You need look no further than your own community to see health-care consumerism in action: There's been a huge increase in the number of in-store medical clinics, urgent care centers and retail vision care practices,” he said. “Consumers have come to expect choice and access when it comes to health care, and dental care is no different.”
Welnak said consumers need to decide what they are looking for.
“You have to look at every individual dentist like me and every corporate organization like Aspen. Think of it in terms of marketing. They have a market niche they're going after,” he said.
“Not every patient desires the same level of care. Some people like the real high end cosmetic dentistry,” Welnak said.
“They want those white Chiclet teeth. Others don't care and just want to be able to eat their dinner.”
Welnak said people shouldn't find a wide gap in pricing.
And Perfect Dental's Burshteyn said: “I can't say we're any more cheaper or any more expensive. It's a different level of service we can provide because everyone in the office is closely focused on the patient.”
Perez said Star Dental often tries to match or beat written treatment estimates from other dentists. She also said she thinks dentists not dealing with a corporate entity can make decisions quicker.
Aspen's Simon said Aspen offers free new patient exam and X-rays for those without insurance as well as price guarantees and senior discounts.
Welnak said many new dental graduates are deciding to skip opening their own shops.
“About a third of recent grads at dentist schools go to work for some sort of corporate entity, and we think that's due to the debt burden these students have,” he said, noting the average student debt surpasses $200,000.
Welnak said it's “a less risky way to get a start,” and they can make money quicker to start paying toward student loans, he said.
At Perfect Dental, one dentist owns all 11 offices in Massachusetts. A different dentist, Rushabh Doshi, owns the Manchester practice, which will start out with two dentists when it expects to open this week.
And in what could put smiles on the faces of some patients, those sitting in Perfect Dental's patient chairs, when not viewing their dental X-rays on a flat-screen television, can watch their favorite show on cable.
“And we give you the remote,” Burshteyn said. “You can control it.”
In other dental news: Aurident offers the Optimet DS 6000 Scanner which uses patented proprietary conoscopic holographic technology to generate highly accurate and consistent scans.
The DS 6000 Scanner can be used for all dental applications such as copings, full contour crowns, bridges up to 14 units, implants, implant bars and dentures.
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