Website for a dental practice: calm for anyone dreading the chair

Two kinds of new patient

A dentist's website mainly attracts two kinds of visitor. The first has just moved, or their previous dentist is retiring. They're looking for a practice that takes new patients, ideally nearby. The second is in pain and wants to be seen this week.

Both are often a little tense. Many people dread the dentist: the pain, the feeling of being judged about their teeth, a bill higher than expected. What they're looking for is access, and someone who's kind.

Start with the question everyone has

Can I register with you? That question belongs on your first screen, answered:

• "New patients welcome", if that's the case. Or the current waiting time, if there is one.
• Your town and any specialism, such as care for anxious patients or children's dentistry.
• The button "Register as a patient", with your phone number next to it.

If you have a waiting list or aren't taking anyone, say that just as clearly. A patient who hears after filling in a form that there's no place feels deceived.

In healthcare, never use fake urgency like "only 3 places left". An honest statement about your waiting time is enough, and builds more trust.

Explain the first visit

For a tense patient, the unknown is the worst. That's why a section about the first visit works better than a list of treatments. Explain:

• How long the first appointment takes and what happens.
• That you look and explain first, before doing anything.
• How you deal with pain: anaesthetic, breaks, a signal if it's too much.

Write calmly and concretely. Never anything that stirs up fear, like "don't wait until it's too late". Someone who's already afraid clicks away instead of registering.

Patients choose a dentist, not a practice

Show your team before your reviews. Real photos of your dentists, hygienists and assistants, in your own treatment room. With their name and their BIG registration, linked to the BIG register, the Dutch register of healthcare professionals. That's proof someone is qualified, and patients can check it themselves.

Then choose reviews about how people were treated. "I was terrified, but she took all the time in the world" says more than "Good dentist". Show your ZorgkaartNederland score with the number of reviews. Name no diagnosis in reviews, and use initials only.

Treatments: short and further down

Most patients know what they need: a check-up, a filling, a crown. A long list of treatments at the top doesn't help them. Put them further down, grouped into four to seven topics, such as check-ups, fillings, crowns and bridges, cosmetic care and emergencies.

Costs and reimbursement

Dental tariffs in the Netherlands are set by the NZa, the Dutch Healthcare Authority. Put them as text on your site, not as a PDF to download first. Explain in plain language:

• What basic health insurance covers, for example for children under 18.
• That adults need supplementary insurance for most dental care.
• That you give an estimate in advance for bigger treatments, if you do.

A patient who knows where they stand is less likely to put off their appointment.

The registration form

When registering, only ask what you need to get in touch: name, date of birth, contact details and perhaps their previous dentist. No medical history in the first form. That belongs in the intake, where you can record it securely.

Put a line at the form about your professional confidentiality and what you do with the data. And mention your complaints procedure under the Wkkgz on your site. It's mandatory, and it shows you work carefully.

Practical information and emergencies

At the bottom is what patients need when the time comes: opening hours, address, parking, accessibility and above all what to do in an emergency outside opening hours. A clear emergency number or a reference to the dentist on call.

Better left out

• A news item as the first thing on your homepage.
• Tariffs only as a PDF.
• Medical questions in the registration form.
• Frightening copy about what goes wrong if you don't come.