It’s become a common complaint whenever we post about a new commercial plaza and list the names of future tenants; “Another dentist office!” With development across the whole spectrum continuing at a rapid pace in Horizon West, we decided to research a little bit why dentist offices seem to pop up everywhere.

Population Growth

The dentist-patient relationship is one that can last decades, and even a lifetime. When dentists are researching office locations to open their practice, they want a location that the population will grow to ensure future success. Even though business may be slow at the beginning, with new homes being built for years, that all equates to new patients in the future. Since Horizon West is planned for 90,000 residents and is only at 25,000 currently, that is a lot of room for growth.

Competition

Along the same lines as population growth, Horizon West could be described as underserved for our medical and dental needs, with residents often leaving the area to visit a location further away. The lack of dominant competition is another good reason to open a dentist office here.

Income

There are socio and economic influences that indicate how likely someone is to visit the dentist. According to a study, adults in lower socioeconomic positions (low wealth or income) are less likely to have annual dentist. This also indicates that residents in Horizon West will carry dental insurance at a higher rate, or more willing to see a dentist out of pocket, than lower income areas. 

Corporate Dentistry

We came across this concept but it was difficult to research, but it appears corporations are getting more involved in local dentistry. We can’t tell if a corporation is picking out these locations and then placing a dentist at it, or if dentists are opening up their own firm and hiring the corporation to help manage the practice. Either way, several of the new dentist offices in the area are supported by the Dental Health Society, which is sponsored by Heartland Dental. 

While dentists offices aren’t the glamorous commercial tenants that we may want, they are a good indication to the success and popularity of Horizon West. As the saying goes, “retail follows rooftops”. As Horizon West continues to get built out with dense residential neighborhoods, the retail will follow, and we’re starting to see that happen.