Simplified workflows without compromise
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 11th November 2024
When providing complex dental treatments to your patients, complicated workflows can be a hinderance. As such, it’s important to make things as simple as possible for the benefit of yourself, your dental team and, ultimately, your patients. Modern dental solutions, be it digital software or innovative equipment, make ease of use a priority. This enables dental teams to focus on providing excellent care to their patients, whilst enhancing productivity. When implementing new equipment in your dental practice, it’s important to consider the impact it may have on you and your team’s workflows, and ensure that the equipment you choose offers the benefits you need.
Impact on the dental team
A 2009 study[i] explored examination and treatment planning appointments, and the dental teams’ experience of these. It found that communication, collaboration, and workflows at these stages were very complex, and that the new technology at this time disrupted the delicate balance established in the practices studied – noting both the benefits and drawbacks it offered.
A later study[ii] from 2016, evaluated the impact of electronic dental records. It highlighted that digital technologies at this time had the potential to enhance patient outcomes, aid diagnosis, reduce errors, and improve safety. However, the study also noted a number of workflow breakdowns which caused frustrations within the dental team due to tasks taking up valuable time that could have been better spent on patient care. The study noted that these over-complicated workflows could potentially impact practice revenues.
Of course, dentistry has evolved over the years, meaning that the need to upgrade workflows and embrace digital dental solutions is inevitable. Dental innovations have taken a huge leap since these studies were conducted, with a focus on straightforward, streamlined workflows to help save dental teams time without compromising on high-standards of patient care. As such, each dental practice must select upgrades or new solutions based on their unique needs.
The benefits of integration
Integration may be the most effective way for many dental practices to enhance the care they offer. By having everything you need conveniently available you are able to streamline your workflows, and offer patients the care they deserve in an effective and predictable way. Incorporate workflows and systems that feature the tools you need for the treatments you provide the most. For example, if you frequently provide endodontic treatment in your practice, utilising a system which enables torque control precision, displays file progress, and features an excellent file library to facilitate this is beneficial.
Integrated workflows can also help to reduce the changeover times between patients, with seamless processes facilitating the transition from examination, to patient education, and finally to treatment. In the short-term, this means a straightforward day-to-day system for yourself and your dental team and, of course, an improved experience for your patients. Over time, a smoother workflow will enable you to see more patients than usual during the day, boosting your practice revenue in the long-term.
Keep patients engaged in their care
As mentioned in the above study, communication was a major concern when it came to implementing new technology in the practice, with some identifying this area as a downfall which was detrimental to the dental team.[iii] The ability to effectively communicate with patients is also essential, to ensure they understand their situation and are able to provide informed consent for any treatment to take place.
Further to this, equipment which enhances communication with patients is essential for boosting their engagement with their oral health. The ability to easily display a patient’s radiograph for them to see is a fantastic way of providing patient education. When a patient can see exactly what their clinician is talking about in a visual way, they are likely to take on more of an active role in both prevention and treatment.
Don’t over-complicate it
Complicated workflows rarely have a positive impact on the dental team or patient care. User-friendly options, which make straightforward functionality the priority, enable the dental team to boost their productivity, save time, and spend more of their day interacting with and educating patients.
The Axano Pure treatment centre, available from Clark Dental, enables you to simply do more. No complicated learning is required to use the system, and its workflows are able to be easily adapted depending on your needs. It features an easy-to-use user interface, integrated therapy functions, patient communication tools and so much more to empower you to provide the highest standards of care.
For improved experiences for yourself, your dental team, and your patients, simplifying your workflows is key. Consider the unique needs of your practice when upgrading or investing in new equipment to ensure the best possible outcomes for your patients.
For more information call Clark Dental on 01268 733 146, email info@clarkdental.co.uk or visit www.clarkdental.co.uk
[i] Irwin, J. Y., et al. “A preliminary model of work during initial examination and treatment planning appointments.” British dental journal 206.1 (2009): E1-E1.
[ii] Schwei, Kelsey M et al. “Exploring Dental Providers’ Workflow in an Electronic Dental Record Environment.” Applied clinical informatics vol. 7,2 516-33. 15 Jun. 2016, doi:10.4338/ACI-2015-11-RA-0150
[iii] Irwin, J. Y., et al. “A preliminary model of work during initial examination and treatment planning appointments.” British dental journal 206.1 (2009): E1-E1.
