Boost your practice with orthodontics
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 4th August 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered a wave of changes across society. From social distancing and mask wearing, to the adoption of pandemic puppies and emergence of new vocabulary – the ripple effect has extended far and wide in often unexpected ways.
The dental profession has certainly not escaped the impact of COVID-19. According to recent data from the British Orthodontic Society, working from home and the associated ‘Zoom Boom’ has given rise to a surge in demand for orthodontics since the start of the pandemic.[i] The statistics state that over half of orthodontists (60%) say they have seen a larger than expected demand for treatment in the last 12 months, which the report associates with a rise in people becoming increasingly conscious of their teeth thanks to close-up video conferencing that has become the daily norm.
So, with more patients opting for orthodontics it could make sense for the ambitious GDP to meet this growing demand and consider offering orthodontic treatment to not only give your practice a boost, but provide benefits for both you and your patients.
Attract new patients
As mentioned above, the demand for orthodontics has surged during the pandemic. Taking into account individual competencies and confidence, this is something that the business-savvy GDP can capitalise on, while keeping patient care at the heart of their practice. Offering clear aligners such as ClearCorrect® will help to expand your practice by offering a treatment that patients are actively looking for as they seek to remedy their ‘Zoom smile anxiety’ and achieve a straighter smile ready for a post-mask society.
Consider promoting your new ClearCorrect® aligner treatment via your website, social media profiles, and perhaps a direct marketing postal campaign to houses local to your practice.
Delight existing patients
It’s not just new patients that will be attracted to your practice’s new orthodontic treatment offering. Your current patient base will be pleased to know that you are diversifying your treatment provision to meet their demand for cosmetic dentistry. Being able to treat mild to moderate crowding or spacing without making referrals will help to keep your patients within your practice and provide a continuity of care that will no doubt build on the all-important patient-practitioner relationship. This level of care will be hugely comforting for the patient, and increase their loyalty towards you as their trusted dentist.
While patient care remains of greatest importance, a happy patient base can also be your best-kept marketing secret. Meeting and exceeding their treatment requirements or expectations by providing anterior alignment can mean your patient champions will have you front of mind when they are in a situation to recommend your practice to a friend or colleague, and grant you those all-important word of mouth referrals.
Gateway to other treatments
ClearCorrect® treatment, while effective on its own, presents a great opportunity to promote other procedures to your patients. This allows you to provide additional support, while hopefully exceeding patients’ expectations of what can be achieved aesthetically.
For example, one popular option to enhance a patient’s newly-straightened smile is to offer whitening to eliminate stains and achieve a more uniform appearance. Composite bonding is another complementary treatment that can follow orthodontics and be used to fill chips and enhance the shape of the teeth to ensure the patient is left with the confident smile they’ve always dreamed of.
Provide long-term ethical patient care
While branching out into orthodontics could provide undeniable financial benefits to your practice, delivering successful, ethical, patient treatment should remain the top priority. If a patient is looking for a cosmetic solution for anterior crowding or spacing, GDP orthodontics can provide an effective solution that is less invasive than alternative restorative treatments, such as full-prep veneers. This enables GDPs to preserve as much of the natural tooth structure as possible, while still achieving the aesthetic transformation that patients seek.
Using orthodontic treatments to pre-align the teeth before restorative treatment will also help to improve outcomes and tackle complex cases. For example, using clear aligners to straighten teeth could achieve a result that means the patient no longer seeks comprehensive or invasive treatment to achieve the smile they’re aiming for.
ClearCorrect® is the clear choice
ClearCorrect® is an industry-leading clear aligner system, offering the perfect solution for your patients searching for a comfortable, removable, and discreet way to achieve a straighter smile. Integrated into a comprehensive digital workflow, with various solutions available to ensure a planned and efficient journey from data capture, right through to manufacture and treatment monitoring – ClearCorrect® is the clear choice.
ClearCorrect® is also now fabricated from a brand-new, innovative, tri-layer material, ClearQuartz™, providing exceptional patient comfort and tooth adaptation. A range of hands-on training courses are available in collaboration with IAS Academy to help GDPs optimise their skills and make the very most of the clear aligner system – visit clearcorrect-uk.co/education for details or to book.
For more information on ClearCorrect®, visit: https://www.straumann.com/clearcorrect/en/home.html
[i] The Zoom Boom’ BOS stats reveal a surge in demand for orthodontics during the pandemic. British Orthodontic Society. Available at: https://www.bos.org.uk/News-and-Events/News [Last accessed 11.5.2021]
