Want to be more efficient? Look at processes, practises and your stock

  Posted by: Dental Design      8th November 2021

“Efficient” might be a buzz word in dentistry, used to promote the equipment, tools and materials that enable the delivery of treatment in less time, but efficiency isn’t just about what you are saving, but what you aren’t wasting.

Since Covid, every practice has had to think about how well it runs as a business. Strong businesses would have found it far easier to weather the unprecedented storm – a storm that would have exposed weaknesses and forced changes. For a dental practice to function well as a business, it must ensure it is using all its resources efficiently, including the skills of its team and other physical resources, such as stock. The delivery of high-quality treatment just isn’t enough if the business function is shaky and a badly-run practice will be obvious to patients, too. When your everyday processes and workflows are smooth and slick, this inspires confidence in your service and supports loyalty and compliance.

Keeping it simple

Efficient dentistry is simple, stripped back dentistry; looking objectively about what you offer patients, cutting out the superfluous and prioritising anything that actively improves their experience. What do patients want from their dental practice? A professional service, good value and excellent results. All of these boxes must be ticked, at no compromise to the others, as satisfaction at being able to get an appointment at relatively short notice, receiving excellent, polite service, then paying a competitive price for treatment will be null and void if it fails. All the risks of failure cannot be eliminated entirely, of course, but they can be managed and mitigated. People must be given encouragement to return for regular maintenance reviews which will help them avoid future treatment and retain their own teeth for longer. Loyal, happy patients, who spread the word, will keep you thriving and help you to grow.

Becoming a more efficient practice does not mean making radical changes, or spending money on new systems. It means look at what you have, and making it work better, so less time, money and talent is wasted. Efficiency tips might include offering remote initial consultations, to those who want one. In whatever form they take, pre-treatment consultations must be comprehensive and thorough – a clear explanation of diagnosis and/or the steps that will be taken to achieve the desired end result. Patients want clarity and information – give them the opportunity to ask questions and ask plenty yourself, this will allow you to learn about their lives, and ensure that treatment plans are a collaboration.

Skill-mix is another way to become more efficient, so that the dentist is not doing things that other DCPs in the team are trained to do. For some of your patients, your older ones in particular, this may require a shift in their mindset. It might not be their favoured dentist delivering their treatment, but it will be a colleague who is qualified to do the work, effectively, safely and successfully. The patient might actually feel more comfortable opening up to someone new – perhaps they want to talk about their diet, or their everyday oral hygiene, or the costs for certain elective services. The more knowledge that can be gained about your patients’ lives, the better. Spending more time with your patients really is the best way to keep them in good health for a lifetime.

Practices can also maximise – and optimise – the time that every patient gets to spend with the dentist by reviewing their stock. The shift to a new way of working has presented a good opportunity to audit what you use, and upgrade if necessary. The right materials will not just enable you to finish treatment quicker, but they will enable you to use those extra minutes to improve relationships between you and each patient, no time wasted.

Time-saving materials must offer actual value and multi-function products must be genuinely multi-functional – a good example is being able to use one cement for both luting options. SoloCem™ from COLTENE is a self-adhesive cement that is now multi-use. It can be used on its own, or boosted with One Coat 7 Universal, also from COLTENE: a light-cured product that can be used for all self-etch, selective etch or total-etch techniques. That’s just two products for all indications, separately or together, for unbeatable bond strength on enamel or dentine. So that’s less stock needed for efficient treatments and a stable, strong result. You will get more time with your patients, save on space and the need to purchase additional products.

Efficiency is about cutting back on waste, using resources wisely and only focussing on the elements you need to upgrade your dentistry and the patient experience. Adapt your processes, use the talents of your team wisely and look at your stock. You will help future-proof your practice for whatever challenges that lie ahead.

For more on COLTENE, visit www.coltene.com,
email info.uk@coltene.com or call 0800 254 5115.