Opened my own dental clinic. Regulars followed, but how do I grow from here?

Hey everyone,

I finally opened my own dental clinic after years of working in larger practices. It’s a small setup, and basically a private office, but it feels great to finally do things my own way.

A good number of my regular patients followed me, which I’m really thankful for. That said, once everyone’s caught up on cleanings and treatments, I know I’ll need new patients coming in. Word of mouth helps, but it only takes you so far.

Right now, I’m trying to figure out what actually works for a small, local clinic. I’ve heard everything from social media to ads, and a friend suggested looking into local SEO since most people just search online when they need a new dentist. He mentioned PiggybankSEO as something to check out, but I’m still weighing my options and being careful with spending.

For any dentists or clinic owners who’ve gone out on their own, what helped you bring in new patients early on? I’d really appreciate hearing what worked for you.