Every single dental practice has to evolve with the times, with the market, and even with the customers. You might need to change your marketing to account for new social media trends, take advantage of a new method of doing things, or even watch the inclusion of new dental instruments rise up and take your practice with them!
If you get a new instrument in your dental practice and need to test it out, then you might find that the services you offer will change too. Here are some ways that new dental supplies can turn the way you do business on its head.
They make certain tasks easier
Have you ever had a patient come in for braces and you’ve needed to send all their information and molds of their teeth to a third party because you didn’t have the equipment to make braces in house? In some cases, if you are a general dentist then you might need to send your patient to an orthodontist the second that the talk of braces comes up!
However, getting the ability to do most of the work involving braces in house can help you complete the task and keep the patient in your court. If you’ve taken the time to buy orthodontist equipment, train yourself and your staff in its use, and can use it on your patients, then there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be marketing this to your customers.
You might not become a full scale orthodontist, but at least you have another section of customers that you can very easily market to. Think about this if you incorporate aspects of other dental services into your business, or if you want to grow into becoming a specialised dentist yourself. Getting the tools and then marketing that you can do the services is really all you need to do!
They can remove problems you’ve had
Sometimes dental instruments don’t introduce anything new, but instead simply are a straight upgrade over what you’ve had to deal with before. For example, let’s look at handpieces in dentistry, which are some of the best tools that any dentist needs. If you find that you are using cheaper handpieces that break all the time or need some additional maintenance to remain functional, then having new instruments can help take some of the stress off.
Proper handpieces can ensure that you are able to clean your patient’s teeth, get into their mouth, and do the procedures that you need to do in a fast and effective manner. Plus, if you don’t need to constantly worry about the pieces breaking down or becoming less effective over time, then you can help more patients.
Instruments can upgrade your office
Getting some of the bigger dental instruments, such as an x-ray machine, can make you feel like you own a real dentist’s office. Even if you’ve just started out and don’t have too many patients just yet, you do have some of the instruments that will cement your status as a dentist. Plus, with every instrument you have, that’s another service you can offer your clients.
You might start out as a generalist dentist who only does checkups and teeth cleanings, but as your dentist’s office upgrades and you get more pieces of equipment, then you can start offering more services and won’t need to send your patients off to get help from a third party.
Make sure you can handle the change
As tempting as it might be to take the first profit you make and sink it into something big and flashy to expand your business, make sure you can handle the new instrument and the change it brings to your office. If you buy a large x-ray machine but have neither the space to use it or the ability to use it, then you’ve just got something that is taking up space and not making you any money. Or worse, it is losing you money!
Don’t try to grow your business beyond its means right away, and instead take the time to just build up your dental business to where it is for a little bit. Then, whenever you feel that your office is ready you can get the instruments that are the catalyst for change, and can be confident that you and your staff can use them effectively.
Then watch your growth and what you can do for your patients skyrocket, all because of a few new toys and pieces of technology.
Leave a Comment