One of the best ways to stand out from your competition as a dental practice is to create a strong, convincing mission statement. In the world of marketing, a mission statement lets consumers know what a company stands for, what is most important to them, and how they aim to uphold those values.  

In dental marketing, your mission statement spells out the core of who you are as a dental professional. This article will focus on what makes a compelling mission statement, and how to execute one for your practice. 

Just like any brand, a mission statement for a dental practice is a vision of your values, goals, and overall purpose. Your mission statement will help prospective patients get a better feel for the tone of your practice and what to expect during their first visit. 

For example, if you emphasize that your team really focuses on patients and getting to know them as individuals, they can expect to feel special and important while in your office.

To get some inspiration, we’ve gathered a few of our favorite mission statements. These companies understand the importance of painting a consistent picture of their brand.

Why it works: By focusing on the power of human connection, this statement positions Starbucks as a gathering place. While their mission is written in just one sentence, it still packs a punch and leaves the reader thinking about how coffee shops impact communities.

Why it works: Patagonia also updated its core values recently in honor of the company’s 50th anniversary. In 2022, Patagonia released this 5-fold mission statement with a heavy focus on sustainability. Each category contains a clear goal—letting the consumer know what they are striving for. 

Why it works: Slack is another company with a short and succinct vision. The tech company lays out a simple, one sentence mission statement: Make work life simpler, more pleasant, and more productive. Slack keeps these three guiding principles in mind in everything they do.

Why it works: This is yet another approach to mission statement building. It makes sense for a company as large as Apple (with so many different products) to split up a mission statement into multiple facets like this.

Why it works: Nike keeps it short and sweet and to the point.

Why it works: We love the play on words in this statement with the use of “accelerating.” Remember—it’s okay to show some personality in your website, even if you’re a dentist!

Why it works: It’s genuine, playful, and clearly states the company’s values.

Honest also goes on to provide a link to their 2020 Mission Report for an in-depth look.

Why it works: We love the straightforward promise to deliver a quality product, and the playful inclusion of the line “big dreams and thin wallets.” Ikea’s statement is a great mix of information and personality.  

Why it works: Google emphasizes the importance of keeping information not only organized, but accessible—making their mission loud and clear.

The technology giant also includes a long list of values under “Responsibility” on their “About” page, similar to Apple’s approach.  

If you take inspiration from the brands above and consider your practice’s unique personality, you should be able to come up with a great mission statement. A good dental practice mission statement concisely tells patients what you stand for, what you aim to provide, and what matters most to you. Your speciality, community, and vision also play an important role in crafting a strong dental practice mission statement.

Mission statements for dentists allow people to get a quick and honest impression of your practice right away. Having a mission statement gives you an advantage over your competitors because the more patients get to know you before a visit, the more likely they are to commit to an appointment. 

Moreover, the creative process required to craft a dental mission statement is valuable. Gather your team together to discuss your mission statement and ask for suggestions and ideas. This is a great team-building exercise and helps everyone get on board.

As you’re considering what to include in your dental mission statement, think about why you chose this specialty to begin with. Do you have a passion for oral health? Do you believe in the power of educating parents about adolescent dental hygiene? Find the core of your values as a practice, and dig in. 

When it comes to your dental website design, a great location for your mission statement is right on the home page, or in the “About Us” section of your site. Contact My Social Practice if you need help with writing dental Bio’s and About Us pages. 

While this process might seem a little overwhelming so far, your dental mission statement will really boil down to three main categories: 

1. Your Values—What is the environment of your practice? Are you family-oriented? Or focused on cosmetics? 
2. Your Goals—Tell patients what they can expect from your practice, and what you strive to accomplish.
3. Your Purpose—Find the “why” behind everything you do.

Let’s break this process down even further, so you have a solid idea on how to move forward with your mission statement.

• Describe your practice’s services
• Explain your dental practice’s core values
• Connect these two ideas and form them into one clear, concise statement 

Check out this great article on how to write a mission statement for more ideas on how to get started. 

If you’re interested in getting help with writing, you can always have someone with more experience take your ideas and put them together.

Using ChatGPT to help with copywriting is an amazing resource for professionals right now, but we recommend bringing this Large Language Model (LLM) into play at the end of your mission statement creation process. Taking the time to really sit down with the team and get on the same page is invaluable (and can’t be replaced by a robot)!

Once you have a draft of your mission statement, try feeding it into ChatGPT and asking for a condensed or refined statement. You can play around with different variations until you find the right fit.

Now that we’ve reviewed big-name brands and gone over how to create a mission statement of your own, take a look at these dental examples for even more inspiration:

This general practice emphasizes a modern approach, a friendly staff, and a goal to provide care to those who may be struggling financially.

“At Platinum Dental Daybreak, we want to provide our patients with the best modern dental care available. We are dedicated to serving the smiles of all our friends in the Daybreak area. Every day we come into work with the goal of being friendly, affordable, and providing professional dental care. We believe that everyone deserves to feel confident about their health and their smile. We work hard to make this kind of care available to everyone that walks into our office.”

This orthodontic practice also emphasizes their value of providing care to people who may need financial assistance. 

“Las Vegas Braces is passionate about empowering patients to make informed decisions on their dental and oral health with thorough patient education and creative treatment options made for each individual. With Integrity, Awareness, Compassion, and an eye for Aesthetics, our aim is to put a healthy and beautiful smile within reach by making you and your families’ orthodontic needs affordable with financing options for everyone. We offer convenient scheduling and tailored orthodontic financing.”

This endodontic practice explains their goal to not only provide great treatment, but to make the patient comfortable every step of the way.

“Our goal is not only to provide you with predictable and efficient treatment but to make the entire process as comfortable for you as possible. Our patient-centered approach allows extra time to discuss all of your treatment options and informs you to make the best decision for your dental health.”

Pediatric dental mission statements are unique because they’re tailored to parents. This office made sure to point out their value of being gentle and kind, which is crucial for children patients.

“We are passionate about providing exceptional dental care in a clean and caring environment. It is our privilege and responsibility to provide a safe and inviting experience for every patient with gentleness, kindness, and integrity. We believe that healthy teeth are needed for a healthy lifestyle, and that children do not need to experience dental hardship if they and their families are educated about preventive dental care.”

This LA-based oral surgeon values their professionalism and excellence in their field (evident by the inclusion of their certifications and credibility).

“We strive to assure that each and every one of our patients is made comfortable and we are staffed with knowledgeable, qualified, and caring personnel. We are Board Certified in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery and hold a Fellowship from the American Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center has us on staff and we work closely with most major hospitals within the greater Los Angeles area.”

As a DSO (Dental Service Organization), Heartland Dental’s audience is unique. Rather than targeting patients, their mission statement is for dental professionals. 

“At Heartland Dental, our vision is to be a world-class company and the leader in dentistry. We believe our industry can become a more rewarding and valuable place for our supported doctors, patients and professionals.”

As a full-service dental practice Steven K Jensen’s mission statement focuses on a general message of oral health. Writing for cosmetic dental services can be a bit nuanced, but this practice maintains an air of professionalism.

“Dr. Jensen embraces Prevention as a pathway to achieving excellent oral health. We provide top quality dental care to our patients in a professional, gentle manner. Each patient is to be treated equally in a manner consistent with the care that we would provide to our own family. Our goal is that our patients will maintain excellent oral health and will always be informed of the status of their condition. Any dental decisions will be made between Dr. Jensen and the patient according to sound dental practices and our patient’s wishes.”