Wondering how your dental practice will grow and evolve in the years to come?
Although there is no crystal ball to see what the future may hold, accommodating for growth and the expansion of services, patients and staff will ensure you stay viable until your practicing days are done.
As the industry continues to rapidly evolve, below are four key factors to consider in future proofing and safeguarding your practice.
Equipment & Technology
With a thought-out plan for technology integration, your practice will be in a position to succeed in the new digital age of dentistry.
Although it’s tempting to want a practice brimming with new technologies and equipment, it is important to look at your practice as a whole and understand your long term objectives. Short-term purchases without long-term considerations are costly and may not yield the best results.
The explosive growth in advanced dental technology and practices means dental practitioners are no longer able to invest in new equipment once every decade. By investing in technology that can stand the test of time, dentists are better positioned to create the proper environment to maximize patient comfort and remain efficient and competitive. CAD/CAM components in particular, are assisting dentists to diagnose and treat patients in a way never thought possible and will continue to pave the way of the dentistry future. 3D dental imaging tools such as Cone Beam CT (CBCT) are also well on the way to becoming the new standard of dental care and revolutionising dental diagnosis and treatment.
Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been a revolutionary innovation in the field of dentistry and provides a platform for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. View our range of Specialists Equipment.
Marketing is Essential
For many dental practices, marketing has not always been high on the list of priorities. However in this day and age, relying just on word of mouth and listing your practice in the Yellow Pages is no longer viable.
Marketing is an investment. If practices do not market themselves, then they can’t maintain a steady, quality new-patient flow or gain a competitive advantage while building long-term equity. Your marketing strategy starts with defining your growth strategy, and whilst this strategy looks different for each individual practice, it must be in line with your vision, your goals, your budget and your timeline.
Raising your brand in the local community and engaging in community outreach is a positive action for long term success. Attending local sporting events, sponsoring groups and events all serve as a solid foundation for a people-oriented business.
Creating an online community by producing frequent blogs on oral health topics, dental advances, wellness tips, preventive care, general health information can now also be accomplished quickly, easily, and inexpensively.
In the digital age, traditional word of mouth has now turned into online reviews. According to The American Dental Association, 70 to 80% of new patients in a typical dental practice are referred by current patients. Dental practice’s can use this valuable tool to build their reputation and reach more patients than ever before. Seeking patient referrals can also prove to be a great way to make new patients comfortable about seeking you out as a new dental provider. Social media sites also provide enormous opportunity to engage with potential patients and stay in the minds of current ones.
Keeping Up With Standards
A key ingredient in future-proofing your practice is staying up to date and being aware of the changing standards, guidelines and policies of National and State Boards.
In the interest of continually improving practice performance and achieving best practice for long term success, compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements can not be overlooked.
Connecting with a compliance specialist, like one of the team from Prime Practice Compliance, will ensure you and your team are up to speed with the management of infection prevention in your practice.
Catering For All Patients and Families
As the industry changes, so does patient needs and orienting your business around the expectations of patients is crucial for survival and growth.
Because different demographics have differing needs, it’s wise to approach your dental practice services from an intergenerational perspective. When your practice meets the specific needs of each generation of patients, rather than simply designing to suit your “average” patient you become equitable, inclusive, and accessible.
Providing comprehensive family dentistry and aiming to give patients and families long term dental care with a customised approach will help assure a successful dental-patient relationship – the key outcomes of the dental practice.
Careful office space planning will also help to prepare for future growth. While a very focused design serves well for the short term, an adaptable space will ensure sustainable growth in the future.
With the interior dated and misaligned to the modernised workflow of the practice, Doncaster Orthodontics selected OPTIMA as a partner to take their practice into the future. See more of the transformation here.
Many practice owners continue to keep the same old processes and systems, but to prosper in the years to come you have to be open to change and consider the above foundations.
Get in contact with Optima today and let our team of experts work with you to unlock the future growth potential of your practice.
