If you’re setting up shop in a community where you grew up and people know your last name, you might already have some goodwill there. This is especially the case for dental practices with family members working together. If your name is new or unfamiliar in the area, we suggest borrowing from existing goodwill. Find out names and concepts that could instantly make your practice sound familiar and endear you to prospective patients. Is the community or neighborhood name something you could incorporate into your practice name? Is there a big park or landmark nearby that the locals value? What about a great school? Taking advantage of existing goodwill can add equity to your practice brand that you otherwise wouldn’t have when you’re just starting out. Researching the area can also inform you of what to avoid pursuing as a theme or idea for your dental office’s name.

From day one, think ahead to hiring one or more associates, bringing on a partner, or eventually selling your dental practice. A practice named with only the original dentist’s name has limited appeal in the community and poses more brand transition challenges. You want to be linked to your practice branding, but in the majority of cases it shouldn’t be totally dependent on you as an individual. We recommend naming your practice with something geographically or “dentally” inspired, and then include your own name with your logo in your marketing. If your exact office location is likely to change, keep your geographic inspiration more broad, meaning don’t use your office’s street name if you might relocate to a larger office in the future. It might be obvious, but it’s still worth saying that you should include a version of “dentistry,” “dental,” or “dentist(s)” in your practice name so it’s clear that you’re a dental office. If your practice name is “Something Smiles,” be sure to include “dentistry” or “dental” in your tagline. Just because “Something Smiles” practice name sounds obvious to you definitely doesn’t mean it will be obvious to potential patients. They aren’t, after all, dentists and they don’t see your practice from the same perspective you do.

Another thing to keep in mind when naming your practice and developing a dental logo is what image you want to portray. Will your practice be family-oriented or more restorative-focused for adults and seniors? Do you want to be viewed as a personal, private practice or a larger, clinic-like presence in your community? We’ve found it helpful (and fun) to talk about all these things, then do a big brainstorm. Writing down all the ideas that come to you and then going back over them can really get the creative juices flowing and inspire even more ideas. During initial brainstorms at Practice Cafe, no idea is a bad idea and snacks flow freely! After the first pass, use the process of elimination to narrow down your options to the top ideas and order them by preference. You can use your favorites to come up with variations or branch-off ideas. You never know when one idea might be the catalyst to another new and unexpected gem that you’ll fall in love with. Look up and note available domain names as you go.