Determining Where to Practice: The Rules Have Changed Churned
Dentists tend to look at a relatively small number of
statistics about an area to reach their conclusions
about its viability and character. For example,
they will look at the population-per-dentist ratio, growth,
and income. While they often lack an understanding of the
meanings of these numbers, at least knowing that one area
has a better population ratio than another, has some growth,
and has more money than an alternative site can appear
to be sufficient information to make broad conclusions.
Unfortunately, this current economy is a game changer.
The nature of dental practice has been changing due to
some important but somewhat hidden factors. These will
dramatically shift the viability of a site but not appear in a
list of demographic statistics. For example, we note a significant
change in the following:
1. The length of time a dentist will stay in practice.
2. The age of a dentist when he or she retires.
3. The costs and difficulty of setting up a new practice.
4. The length of time people will stay in their homes
(before moving).
