During our recent interview with Kirkland Dentistry owner Dr. David Richardson, we learned about his service in the Air Force helped him to hone his skills, as well as how his wife’s business background has helped his practice to run smoothly.
What was it that made you want to open your own business?
David Richardson: To be my own boss, making all the decisions, in order to be able to provide the best dental care possible to my patients.
Please tell us about your practice, Kirkland Dentistry.
David Richardson: Kirkland Dentistry specializes in Family and Cosmetic dental care. We care for all ages, meeting their needs for high quality dentistry.
We find that small business owners tend to have interesting backgrounds. Would you mind telling us about yours…your background, education, work history?
David Richardson: I’m the fourth of five children, growing up in a small town in Arizona. I graduated from ASU in 1978 and the UW Dental School in 1982. From there, I served three years in the Air Force as a general dentist and captain, including a general practice residency program. The Air Force experience allowed me to hone my skills after dental school, providing military personnel and their families with every dental specialty. So, in 1985 when my wife and I set up our private practice in Kirkland, I was highly experienced and prepared to offer my patients the best care possible.
What steps did you take in order to acquire the skills and knowhow to run a dental practice?
David Richardson: Fortunately, my wife, Michelle, has a business background. Partnering with her allowed me to set up a new business. She allowed me to focus more on the technical dental care while she did much of the business startup. We are still partners today; 30 years married and at Kirkland Dentistry.
A lot of businesses come with challenges. What has been the biggest challenge for you?
David Richardson: What challenges our patients is what challenges us…sometimes it’s the challenge to bridge the financial gap between what insurance pays and what is owed. Many of our patients don’t have insurance. Especially with the economic strain since 2008, our patients have asked for a less expensive and easier way to finance their dental care needs. So while our mission hasn’t changed, our business plan is changing in order to meet the needs of our patients.
We are currently partnering with a new company called CareCap. CareCap has ingeniously designed a way to help patients bridge the financial gap with low-cost financing and easy no-hassle payments. CareCap is a significantly new financing model on the market. We are just launching CareCap this month! To the best of knowledge, we will be the first dental office to offer CareCap to our patients. We’re excited to help meet the financial needs of our patients!
David Richardson DDS and his staff at Kirkland Dentistry have been proudly serving the community of Kirkland, WA for over 31 years. If you are interested in booking an appointment, visit online at www.KirklandDentistry.net, or call 425.823.6820.
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