Passive income: Doing well by doing what's best for your patients
In today’s dental environment, profitability can be challenging. Soaring staff costs, lower PPO reimbursements, and increased dental supply needs can affect the bottom line of a practice. Many practices are searching for ways to increase profitability without adding staff or services.
What if I told you there exists a way to augment your revenue while also enhancing the care you provide? There is a way, and it’s as simple as swish and spit. Using OraCare products—a brand created by dentists to benefit patients as well as provide passive revenue to dental offices—can have a significant impact on the bottom line. Let's look at the products and what they do.
A win-win-win product is good for the patient, good for the clinician (makes their job easier), and good for the practice. OraCare and OrthoProtect check these boxes.
Wins: Good for the patient and clinician
OraCare mouth rinse kills bacteria, fungi, and viruses while eliminating volatile sulfur compounds and breaking up biofilm. There are clinical studies and before-and-after photos that prove it works. It can help with periodontal disease, dry mouth, fungal infections, and many other problems of the oral cavity.
One of the best things it does is break up and prevent new biofilm, the true enemy in the mouth. I could go into the science and discuss how it works, but that's not for this article. For now, let's assume the thousands of offices that currently use OraCare are right, and it works.
Hygienists also love OraCare because it makes their job easier. Patients who use OraCare have reduced bleeding and less plaque and calculus buildup.
Win: Good for the practice
OraCare was invented by dentists because they didn’t like chlorhexidine and wanted a different professional rinse that didn't stain, didn't cause calculus buildup, and that could be used for longer than two weeks. They also made a business decision to cut out the middleman (pharmacies, retail stores, etc.) and allow dental practices to make the profit. This is why OraCare is sold only in dental practices.
How much profit can OraCare make for a dental practice? That depends on how you integrate it into your services. Any periodontal case that goes from gingivitis to full-on periodontitis can use OraCare. However, the everyday patient who wants cleaner teeth, fresher breath, and better checkups can also benefit from OraCare.
OraCare
When you start using OraCare, you’ll quickly realize how many patients can benefit from daily use of this professional mouth rinse. Again, this is great for the patient and can be profitable for the practice, and it's OK to profit from OraCare. After all, this is Dental Economics.
Many offices produce thousands of dollars a month just from recommending OraCare, and over half of that is profit. This is the definition of passive income. In today’s economy, making a couple thousand dollars in profit can really help.
Ortho Protect
This is the newest product from the OraCare line. It combines the best aspects of OraCare, such as breaking up biofilm and eliminating microbes, with poloxamer 407 and calcium lactate to help with remineralization (calcium lactate). This makes the mouth and any brackets extremely slippery (poloxamer 407). Orthodontic treatment can be expensive; Ortho Protect is like cheap insurance to protect this investment.
The average orthodontic practice sees about 800 patients a month. Every one of those patients can benefit from Ortho Protect. That’s a whopping $566,000 in added production per year. That can be life changing for practice owners. Patients benefit from having healthy gingiva and preventing white spots, potentially saving them from additional restorative needs once orthodontic treatment is complete. The clinical team benefits from having patients whose oral hygiene is markedly improved. The practice benefits by having recurring income, something ortho practices rarely see. It’s a win-win-win.
Remember, the best way to increase your production and profit is to increase your standard of care. OraCare and Ortho Protect have been proven to increase the standard of care in thousands of dental offices
As a business owner, every year gets tougher. Taxes are never going to decrease, regulations are only going to increase, and acquiring and keeping staff will never get easier. So, you have to find wins in new places. OraCare and Ortho Protect can be an easy win for your patients and practice.
Editor's note: This article appeared in the January 2025 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
