Dental Card Services Alliance

Dental Card Services Alliance was co-founded in 2009 by North Carolina Dentist, Dr. Robert L. Harrell,

to provide payment-processing services to the dental community.

To better understand our business, we would like to provide some background information:

In early 2009, I was approached by a friend who asked to take a look at my credit card processing for my practice. He had been in the payment processing business a while and had established a network of tier-1 processors. My friend assured me that I was overpaying for this service. As you can imagine, I was very skeptical as I have regularly negotiated this service and have bid it out on multiple occasions. But, to my surprise, he was able to save me 51% on my processing costs and fees (over $3,100 a year in savings with no switchover costs). I was shocked, but also equally intrigued by my experience. As a result, we set off together to determine whether or not my experience was an isolated event or whether there could be value to the broader dental community.

After testing our program capabilities and business plan with a handful of practices we were able to confirm a large demand for our services from the dental community. As a result, Dental Card Services Alliance was formed.

In our initial test group of dentists, our savings averaged 49%, typically generating between $2,000 and $4000 in annual savings. Some of our larger Ortho and Pedo practices were able to save as much as $10,000 per year!

After spending a several months studying the payment processing industry, we realized that there was a lot of unnecessary profit taking from banks and 3rd party vendors. We also uncovered that most plans were extremely complicated, making apples to apples comparison nearly impossible. Most dentists just don’t have the time dissect and compare one plan with the next.

Our discovery of typical market practices to generate as much profit as possible from every customer incensed me. Dentists are a unique breed that sometimes stands alone, but we always seek to protect one another.

Our business model is based a few core principles:

· We are processor agnostic. Rather than partner with only one back or processor, we have assembled a network of tier-1 providers. We have negotiated aggressive pricing contacts so that we can always provide our members with the best pricing.

· Cost-Plus Pricing

Every plan we offer is based on Cost-Plus Pricing, which provides complete transparency. Most providers will not even offer this type of plan due to the transparency

· Wholesale Equipment and No-hassle transition

If our members need new equipment, we provide it pre programmed and at our cost. All equipment is plug and play ready. We also provide 24/7 customer service support.

We are very excited to share our service with our fellow dentists. We are having great success as the word gets around. It continues to amaze me at how many other dentists are really getting taken advantage of the same way I was.

Please share the good news and refer your dentist friend to our website at:

http://dentalcardservices.com/index.php

Or give us a call at 1-866-472-1214

Patient Feedback

I received this from one of our patients today. I just had to share it!

When I walked into your office for the first time, I was so scared and so nervous. Now when I come in, I am not scared, still a little nervous, but nothing like before. I know it is because of the way I am treated when I am there. Janice's smile is radiant. She is a joy to see and talk with. Cathy is fantastic! She always puts me at ease. Yesterday was a piece of cake. I left there feeling great. Dr. Harrell, you are always so pleasant and make me feel so comfortable. Thank you for having such a wonderful staff to take such good care of me. I hope I never have to have crowns, fillings or root canals, but if I do, I know you will make sure I am well taken care of.

I am so happy I found y'all. Thank you all.

Bonnie

Dr. Harrell voted a Top Charlotte Dentist for 2009

Top Dentist Charlotte Award 2009

Dr. Robert L.Harrell of Adult Dentistry of Ballantyne was recently selected as a Top Charlotte Dentist for 2009. The marks the third year that Dr. Harrell has been selected since the inception of the Top Dentist Awards in 2007. We are so proud of Dr. Harrell for all of his excellent work and earning the ongoing respect of his peers! It really is a huge honor for our practice as the votes are cast only by local dentists in the Charlotte region. Way to go Dr. Harrell!

Help!..I need a new smile!

Help my smile!

I saw this super nice patient today who really needs help with her smile! She asked me to do whatever it takes to give her a beautiful smile. Checkout the photos and check back later to see our progress. This should be a fun one! I love being a dentist in Charlotte, NC!

Ask Dr. Harrell

We've started a new section in our blog to help answer your questions about dentistry! Just leave a comment with your question and we will try to get you an answer as soon as possible!

Robert L Harrell DDS Receives 2009 Best of Charlotte Award

Robert L Harrell DDS Receives 2009 Best of Charlotte Award

WASHINGTON D.C., June 8, 2009 -- Robert L Harrell DDS has been selected for the 2009 Best of Charlotte Award in the Dentistry category by the U.S. Commerce Association (USCA).

The USCA "Best of Local Business" Award Program recognizes outstanding local businesses throughout the country. Each year, the USCA identifies companies that they believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2009 USCA Award Program focused on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the USCA and data provided by third parties.

Never too old for a new smile!..Pt. 2

looking good!

And just like that we are finished. 5 root canals and 24 porcelain crowns later, she looks 20 years younger! Best part is...no dentures. We were proud to have been able to help Mrs. Taylor. She must have driven by hundreds of other dentists to get to our office? She now has the confidence to smile and eat again without worrying about tooth pain or breaking a tooth.

Never too old for a new smile!

before treatment

Well, you are never too old for a smile makeover! This sweet little lady drove 2 hours to see us. She told me that she wanted her teeth fixed for the last time, and that she did not want teeth that went in a jar at night! I think we can help! We planned for a full mouth reconstruction with porcelain veneers, porcelain crowns and bridges. She's ready to start, so check back soon.....

Another fun case to see...Pt 2

temporary veneers in place

These are the temprary veneers in place. Can't wait to see the permanent porcelain veneers!

Another fun case to see...

Before treatment

Cosmetic Dentistry in Charlotte NC is not always the 'big' stuff. We do lots of small cases too that can have a really big impact on a smile! This case will involve just 2 porcelain veneers on the upper front teeth.

Great Smile Makeover - Part 3

Porcelain Veneers Before Installation

So the permanent porcelain veneers arrived from the laboratory. Take a look at the photos to see what the veneers look like prior to installation. The patient was thrilled with the result! We all think she looks awesome!

Great Smile Makeover - Part 2

Before Treatment

So we are ready to take the next step and get this case started. We had the patient come back for the preparation appointment. At this appointment, we had her approved the diagnostic waxup, which is a simulation on the final result done on a model of her teeth. We did the prep work on her teeth which involved some light sanding and roughening of the enamel surface. We then took impressions of the teeth and placed temporary veneers. We had her come back a few days later to check size, shape, length and alignment of the temporaries.

Great Smile Makeover

Digital Smile Preview

Here's another awesome smile makeover case that we are looking forward to treating! With every smile makeover case, we take a series of digital photographs and do a "digital smile preview" to show that patient a simulation of what they will look like with a new smile. With the patient's approval of the preview, we move forward with a diagnostic waxup. CLICK TO SEE MORE PHOTOS

Failing Porcelain Veneers Finished!

Porcelain veneer case finished

Case is finished! She absolutely loves her new porcelain veneers! She says her family and friends can't stop talking about how great she looks! Add in a new haircut and the transformation is complete. The satisfaction I get from seeing a smile makeover like this is hard to describe. I'm having so much fun practicing cosmetic dentistry here in Charlotte, NC. CLICK PHOTO TO SEE MORE...

Failing Porcelain Veneers - Part 2

Veneer temporaries

OK... so we got the case treated and got her in temporaries. She is already so much happier just having the temporaries on! Upper lip is just a little puffy still, but quite normal for a day after the procedure. Check back for the final result soon. CLICK PHOTO TO ENLARGE...

Failing Porcelain Veneers - Part 1

Failing porcelain veneers

This patient came to see us concerned about the appearance of her 10+ year old porcelain veneers. She did not like the shape or color. Note the staining around the edges. This is a pretty realistic example of what cosmetic dentistry looked like in days gone by. Can't wait to get this case treated and see how beautiful we can make her smile! CLICK PHOTO TO SEE MORE...

Digital X-rays

Digital Panoramic X-Ray Machine

We just installed a new digital panoramic x-ray machine. Not something that most people would get too excited about? The major benefit is that it reduces radiation to the patient by more than 50% when compared to older conventional x-ray machines. The image quality as also improved dramatically. We can see so much more on the new digital x-rays than we ever could on conventional film. When we take a digital x-ray now, it pops up instantly on the computer screen. We can also manipulate the image by changing contrast and brightness to better see what is there. Our ability to diagnose problems with improved accuracy is profound.

Dr. Harrell Named Top Dentist

Voted one of Charlotte's Top Dentists by Charlotte Magazine

Dr. Harrell was voted a 2008 Top Charlotte Dentist in the November issue of Charlotte magazine for the second time in 2 years. The research was conducted by surveying all dentists in the Charlotte area. Dr. Harrell, a cosmetic dentist in Charlotte, NC, was also voted a top dentist last year in 2007, the first year of the survey. “It really is a huge honor to receive this kind of recognition from your peers! We work really hard as a team to deliver top-notch patient care. I really can’t take all the credit. It’s totally a team effort!” says Dr. Harrell.

New office renovation!

This is our newly renovated lobby. Check out the Our Office section for more photos.

The renovation of our cosmetic dentistry office in Charlotte, NC is complete. After 10 years, we decided it was time to freshen up the office interior. We installed new carpet, lighting, furniture and countertops. We really want our patients to feel relaxed, like visiting the home of a friend. Too many dental and medical offices feel either totally dated, or very institutional. We have also installed aromatherapy machines that fill the office with the relaxing smells of lavender and peppermint.

We also did a few technology upgrades to benefit our patients. We have upgraded our DVD library to include over 200 titles to view on a pair of video glasses during treatment. We also added a couple of new i-Pods loaded with relaxing music which patients can use during treatment. In the reception area we installed a patient education theater to help our patients learn more about different dental procedures and about oral health.