How One Dental Practice is Providing Exceptional Care

When it comes to providing exceptional patient experience, Dr. Michael DeFee, and his practice, My Friend’s Dentist knows what it takes! Their Mission: Provide the best patient experience possible, care for people through dentistry, and be responsible stewards if the communities we serve.

Striving towards this mission, My Friend’s Dentist just received the prestigious B Corporation Certification, becoming just the 3rd dental practice in the United States to do so. This intrigued the team at NexHealth and we wanted to learn more.

We were able to sit down with the team at My Friend’s Dentist and hear their story.

Behind the practice

Since a young age, Dr. Michael DeFee had a passion for science. But, growing up in South Carolina, Dr. Mike was never fond of the dentist. It would be safe to say that he truly hated the dentist at a young age, but he soon found his calling after graduating with a PhD in Microbiology and realizing he could combine his love for science with helping people improve their oral health, which led him to pursue a DMD from The Medical University of South Carolina.

Dr. Michael DeFee approached starting My Friend’s Dentist by asking the question “In today’s insurance-controlled atmosphere, can we successfully run a people-centered dental practice that treats patients like we would friends?” Stemming from his past experiences, Dr. Mike didn’t want others to feel the same as he did when going to the dentist.

To Dr. Mike, patient experience was the answer and number one on the list for a multitude of reasons. Whether a first-time visitor or recurring, Dr. Mike and his staff have been providing exceptional dental care with their patients and there shows no signs of slowing down. But, don’t take it from me, see for yourself from their rockstar reviews.

The practice

After My Friend’s Dentist opened their doors in 2010, they have strived to become the best at what they do, in more ways than one. There is a common question that is consistently brought up with the team at My Friend’s Dentist.

“How can we make the process and experience as patient-centered as possible?”

After reassessing their practice, a focused name change, and capitalizing on the latest management techniques, they found their answer. Several things now set them apart from other practices that have now led them into success with their patients.

Dr. Mike and his team have been taking huge leaps to make pricing affordable for their patients, like providing membership benefits where insurance doesn’t cover. Some of the benefits include 15% savings on all treatments, no processing fees, or deductibles for starters.

My Friend’s Dentist also promotes a wide range of events for their staff and patients, dental and non-dental related. This has helped strengthen their community and team over the years and more than anything, they love it!

One prime example of a popular event that My Friend’s Dentist put together is a dinner award that showcases and highlights staff that has delivered an exceptional patient experience. They have even had their patients participate with a friendly shout-out video at their events. This is awesome! Not many practices involve their patients with staff events as it is, so it’s refreshing when a practice like My Friend’s Dentist rolls up their sleeves and gets involved.

Dr. Mike and the team also hold regular staff meetings to cover all areas of improvement, including analyzing reports and metrics received from NexHealth’s platform. After searching through many potential cloud-based solutions, working with NexHealth has helped My Friend’s Dentist simplify the way their patients book appointments online, helping staff communicate with patients through messaging, and much more by providing a centralized platform for their dental practice.

Receiving the B Corp Certification

After a full year of assessment, My Friend’s Dentist has now achieved what very little businesses have been able to in receiving the B Corp Certification!

The B Corporation Certification is provided by the non-profit organization B-Lab, and there are currently 2,933 companies carrying a B Corp Certification in 64 countries globally, ranging over 150 industries. The goal is to meet social sustainability and environmental performance standards. These standards will allow Dr. Mike and My Friend’s Dentist to build credibility, trust, and value among the community. To pass the assessment, a practice must undergo five conditions that include, accountability, transparency, performance, availability, and cost.

To receive the award, Dr. Mike had to buckle down and focus on energy consumption, carbon offsets, and waste reduction within the practice. Utilizing digital technology, renewable office supplies, compost, recycling programs, and purchasing offset credits for renewable energy were a few other initiatives My Friend’s Dentist took to ensure their certification and community backing.

What’s to come

Now that Dr. Mike and My Friend’s Dentist received their B Corporation Certification, it’s only a matter of time until they tackle their next goal. As Dr. Mike’s practice continues to grow, so will the challenges. But, with his extensive background and dedicated team, My Friend’s Dentist is ready and committed to providing the best patient experience a practice can supply.

We asked the team at My Friend’s Dentist to provide a small piece of advice for those who want to make an impact through their dental practice, and they said:

“The more you can structure your practice around making a difference beyond the day-to-day dental work, the more you will appreciate the stresses that come with running a business and the impact your practice can make.”

Next time you’re in Wilmington, North Carolina, stop by My Friend’s Dentist and see for yourself what sets their practice apart from the rest.

Find out how you can benefit from an all-in-one patient experience solution with a free demo!

To learn more about My Friend’s Dentist, visit myfriendsdentist.com.

You can also find My Friend’s Dentist on instagram @myfriendsdentist.