In determining how many operatories he’d like to have in the new practice, Andre had to rein in his initial thoughts. He had hoped for nine operatories in which he and his future associate would practice. After looking at the space and listening to his Patterson team, he decided on six. “Patterson came in very helpful on that,” he said. “They helped me understand the normal shape and size of operatories, the normal dimensions that an operatory should be - the two modes of entry, for the dentist and the assistant to come in. In reality, the square footage of the building, the cost of the equipment and the cost of building out, I’m very glad I decided on six.”

The change was immediately noticed - not just by Andre’s satisfied patients, but also by those who had never previously visited his practice. On top of the practice’s normal new patient referral flow, Andre received 48 new patients from drive-by business in the two years before construction was completed. In the 18 months after construction was completed, that number jumped nearly 1,000 percent, as he gained 476 new patients from drive-by business alone. It justified to him all the additional work in staying in the same location. And it proved what he knew in his heart: it was the right decision.

“There’s a frustration factor with being confined and being squeezed by not enough room to do what you need to do. Feeling that your facility does not meet your quality of dentistry is a frustration shared by many dentists. It’s a big undertaking to take that plunge financially and planning-wise, but to get into the facility....” Andre tailed off, then restarted. “I love coming to work every day. I loved coming to work before I built my new building but I love it a lot more now. I have an almost seamless program in place. It has completely changed my excitement level about showing up for work and doing the dentistry. I loved turning the key in that brand new lock and I have loved opening that same door every day since.”

To learn more about Greg Andre, DDS, visit silverlakedentalpc.com.