Kids or Adults: Who To Treat?

There’s a well known orthodontic practice near me that simply doesn’t accept any adult patients. You’re a parent of a current patient and want treatment? Sorry, find another practice.
There are also orthodontic practices around the US that do not accept any pediatric patients and only treat adults.
Then there are the rest of us, who treat anyone who needs or wants straighter teeth, but attracting and treating everyone can be complicated.
Do you think that adults want to be treated in a space decorated for kids or vice versa?
What about marketing?
And then comes the bigger question: Which population do you really want to treat? Each group has significant pros and cons. From home care and compliance to “pickiness”, they present totally different rewards and challenges.
If you’re set up for both populations and you’re happy treating that way, that’s awesome. My practice currently sits at 53% kids and 47% adults.  I guess I haven’t done a great job of differentiating, and I know those percentages are a bit unusual, but I’m very happy with the mix of patients and procedures.
I saw a recent thread in our Facebook group about trying to increase the number of parents being treated in a practice. My question to you, is if the population you’re currently treating isn’t what you ideally want, what steps are you taking to make the change?
You can make your practice anything you want it to be. Just plan it and do it. 🙂
If you want to be a part of a geographically exclusive Facebook group (OrthopreneursRD) where we do deep dives into these discussions (and more) , please message me. To learn more about your region’s availability and what it’s all about, click HERE.
Wishing you all the best!!!

Glenn Krieger is an orthodontist with 20 years of restorative and cosmetic dentistry experience before he returned to orthodontic residency. Dr. Krieger learned about the importance of well-designed practice policies and systems during a year at the Schuster Center for Professional Development in Scottsdale Arizona, and an understanding of general accounting practices and industrial psychology at the University of Washington Graduate Business School’s “Dentist as CEO” program. He is the host of “The Orthopreneurs Podcast” and manages the Orthopreneurs Facebook group.