Contradictory Dental Marketing Practices: Do Beer and Low-Cut Dress Attract Patients?

Many people dread going to the dentist for even the most routine procedure.

Good dentists realize that most patients experience a bit of anxiety at the thought of dental visits and go out of their way to reduce this anxiety.

Many dental offices today provide a spa-like atmosphere that includes soothing music and aromatherapy via candles as well as other aspects to make the entire visit more appealing and less frightening. Many dentists try to calm their patients from the minute that they step through the office door until their procedures are finished.

Many dentists however take things a little too far by some beliefs. A dental office in Van Nuys, California for instance, provides a candy and ice cream vendor who sells products directly in front of the dental clinic. As patients leave the dental office, they are able to see masses of sugar filled candy and ice cream treats.

While this may not make them more relaxed in the office, it certainly adds to their pleasure once they leave. It also helps the dentists whose office provides the treats as patients gorge themselves on sugar filled foods, prompting a faster return to the dental office to take care of those cavities.

The dental office of Clint Herzog of Dallas, Texas goes as far as to offer beer and wine to his dental patients. Many specialists offices offer relaxation techniques to help their patients to better enjoy their procedures, but many feel that mixing alcohol with various medications and anesthetics can be very dangerous.

Salons, particularly those in high traffic areas such as New York and Los Angeles have offered wine, coffee and other drinks for years to provide their clients with a unique spa experience.

Dentist’s offices however have never been considered the type for offering alcoholic beverages, particularly given that many procedures require the patient to be sedated and these sedation medications can interact negatively with alcoholic products. Dr. Herzog created Floss Dental Center and began offering “free spirits with cleanings” in his office in order to draw in new patients.

Many dental offices provide espresso machines or regular coffee machines as well as water fountains and even soda machines in their reception areas, but serving alcohol during a dental treatment may be a bit far-fetched.

Dr. Herzog now has three dental offices in the Houston area as well as five in the Dallas area where he offers wine and beer to his patients in order to make them more relaxed for their dental procedures. Many critics do not agree with the practice but most of Herzog’s patients find it a very effective way to promote relaxation during dental procedures.

On the other end of the spectrum is Dr. Marie Catherine Klarkowski from Munich, Germany. Dr. Klarkowski began buying low-cut dresses for herself as well as her staff in order to distract her patients during their dental procedures. Showing cleavage, she believes, will effectively take the patient’s mind off of his or her dental procedure and in turn, cause the patient to be much more relaxed during the procedure.

Many feel that these tactics are more than contradictory and that steps should be taken to eliminate the use of such marketing tactics. However, none of the tactics being used are illegal in any way and most dental patients appreciate the opportunity to relax while having dental procedures performed. It will simply be left up to patients to determine whether they feel more comfortable having cleavage in their line of vision or helping themselves to a beer while undergoing stressful dental work.

Understand that not all dentists today use such tactics in order to draw in new patients, but with more and more learning of these contradictory methods and their success rates, you may be surprised at the number of dental practices that will be getting on board quickly.