Dental office chains expanding in Arkansas

What used to be a business of locally-owned and operated dental clinics in cities small and large alike is transforming into corporate-structured operations with name brands seen not just across multiple cities, but multiple states.

Leigh Scott, director of Market Operations at Smile Brands, the parent company of Monarch Dental, said the journey of dentist offices from locally-owned and operated to a corporate type of operation is similar to what has happened in other medical fields throughout American history.

"It's an interesting journey we're on in health care, and it's not isolated to dentistry," she said. "If you look back in time, the neighborhood pharmacy was a private practice and there are fewer and fewer now. It's become less fragmented."

The same thing has happened in the field of optometry and general family practice medicine, where more doctors are working in clinics owned by large hospital chains versus owning their own practices.

According to Scott, much of the change to a corporate structure within medicine and dentistry, in particular, can be attributed to two factors – patient needs and physician quality of life.

She said in the field of dentistry, by joining a large practice, practitioners do not have to worry about general business operations, such as billing, and instead could focus on patient care.

With regards to patient care, Scott, who worked in a private practice before coming to Smile Brands, said patients are demanding more as the economy has been shaky during the last several years.

"As patients demand better pricing, more access to care, and better locations, the industry responds to that," she said.

Kevin Offel, president and CEO of My Dentist, said patients at his company are able to receiving "complete care dentistry."

"My Dentist patients benefit from the availability of same day service, maximization of insurance benefits via in-network providers, affordable financial arrangements, first-class facilities and much more. Patients also have the flexibility of transferring to another My Dentist office, if applicable, when relocating out of an existing practice's geographical area," he said in an e-mail.

The financial side of things has been a driving force in the growth of these firms, Scott said. At Monarch, which has offices in Fort Smith and Fayetteville, she said patients can be approved for credit lines starting at $500 simply by having a driver's license and a checking account, which allows them to receive the dental care needed without necessarily having to hold dental insurance or good credit.

Offel did not provide details on his firm's financing options, but he said My Dentist, with locations in Fayetteville and Springdale and an office under construction in Van Buren, worked with patients to meet their financial needs.

"Because we are able to accept so many insurance types and offer multiple financing options to all patients, we would be the better alternative for patients that might not be able to afford dental health care," he said.

For patients who have no insurance, larger firms are able to offer some services at discounted rates, as well, according to Scott. She mentioned the ConfiDent Discount Program, which specifically targets non-insured patients.

"(It is) for patients without insurance. Those patients are paying full-price while others have insurance paying some (of the cost of a visit), but cash patients are paying full retail," Scott said. "(ConfiDent offers a discount) off of our normal fees."

While there is an enrollment fee to join the program, Scott said it offered discounts to patients which could be up to 40% on some procedures, though not all dental offerings were covered.

The one benefit specifically highlighted by Scott and Offel were more specialized services. Offel said, "My Dentist doctors are trained in all dental treatment options, including endodontics, dentures and dental implants."

Scott said each Monarch office varied, though she said many offices offer, "orthodontics, some offices have pariodontics (implants and gum surgeries), as well as some oral surgery opportunities."

While the amount of corporate clinics remains limited across the Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas areas, the growth of these types of dental offices does not appear to be slowing.

With My Dentist's Van Buren location, the company has expanded to three clinics in Arkansas with a presence in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas and Missouri, as well. Meanwhile, Monarch, which bought its Fort Smith and Fayetteville clinics in 1997, continues to expand with more than 400 locations nationwide.