Managing growth
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 25th March 2022
Practice owners looking to expand their business should consider ways to support this additional growth, whilst continuing to cater to the needs of their patients.
Whether it’s a smaller practice that has recruited a new team member, or a larger one looking to open an additional surgery or entire clinic, knowing how to manage the businesses’ growth is vital. With additional staff, equipment or patients, there are numerous things to consider in order for the practice(s) to run smoothly and successfully.
Lessons from unexpected places
In the animal world, there is a concept known as Kleiber’s rule, which states that the larger an animal gets, the more efficient its metabolism becomes. [i] For example, deep-sea gigantism affects invertebrates, and other sea animals that dwell in the cold waters of the deep-ocean. Creatures such as the colossal squid have been found to grow up to thirty foot long,[ii] yet despite its immense size, scientists concluded that the colossal squid has a relatively low metabolic rate. This, and the icy Antarctic waters where it resides, suggests that the colossal squid moves slowly, with very low food requirements. Therefore, despite being considered the largest invertebrate on the planet, it is able to efficiently preserve its energy.
How can practice owners ensure their dental practices are growing successfully, whilst running competently and proactively? In the world of dentistry, Kleiber’s rule can certainly apply to practice owners who are expanding their business whilst increasing proficiency and maintaining high standards of care.
Team
For both small and larger practices, investing in the team will help to create a positive, active working environment. Dentistry is a vast field, with many training avenues that professionals can take in order to develop their careers. By prioritising this development, the team will feel not only appreciated, but more confident and assured in their roles.
From conferences, lunch and learns, webinars and hands-on courses, investing in the growth of your team is a dependable way to maintain the expansion of the business. Additionally, the implementation of regular team meetings and huddles is a clever way to discuss responsibilities, raise queries and essentially move forward with better clarity and motivation. No matter whether it’s one or ten team members being taken on, ensuring that they’re informed and confident in their duties is crucial. For long-standing team members, these meetings are still a great way to boost morale and create a constructive atmosphere in which to work.
Maximise efficiency
Regardless of size of the practice, practice owners should strive to create maximum efficiency where possible, by lowering costs and determining what will add value to the practice. This is especially applicable in bigger clinics, where supplies will be consumed at a much higher rate than in smaller settings.
Firstly, practice owners should consider the supplies they use; could money be saved by switching to a different supplier, without compromising product quality? Also, completing regular stock-takes will help to curb over-spending, over-stocking and wasting products due to expiration.
Practice owners may also consider the use of a modern practice management system, to not only help control expenditure, but also streamline basic administrative. By simplifying many important processes, such as the maintenance of dental records, incomings and outgoings and patient appointments, will improve the practice’s organisation.
Invest in premium equipment
Reliable equipment can also help to maximise efficiency within the practice, and therefore support its growth. By choosing to invest in adaptable and advanced equipment, higher-quality outcomes can be achieved, with minimal risk of retakes.
Carestream Dental provides a range of innovative scanning solutions, including the CS 9600 CBCT scanner, which is scalable to suit the needs of the practice as it develops. All diagnostic needs are supported with up to fourteen fields of view, plus the AI-powered positioning helps deliver more accurate scans on the first try. With the CS MAR feature, metal artifacts and noise are also drastically reduced for more reliable assessment and treatment planning. The CS 9600 CBCT scanner is designed to improve diagnostics, streamline workflows and minimise time wasted through re-scans.
Growth can appear differently in every dental practice. From buying a new piece of equipment to expanding the building, every practice owner should consider the practice’s ability to support this growth, and continue to provide excellent care to patients.
Nimisha Nariapara
Nimisha is the Trade Marketing Manager at Carestream Dental covering the UK, Middle East, Nordics, South Africa, Russia and CIS regions. She has worked at Carestream Dental for the past 7 years, where she has developed her marketing skills and industry knowledge to bring the core values and philosophy of the company to the market.
For more information, contact Carestream Dental on 0800 169 9692 or
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[i] Kleiber, Max. “Body size and metabolic rate.” Physiological Reviews. DOI 10.1152/physrev.1947.27.4.511. Accessed 26/11/21.
[ii] “Colossal Squid a Soft, Sluggish Drifter.” Science, 13 May 2010, www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/100512-science-animals-colossal-squid-sea-monster#:~:text=Colossal%20squid%20are%20the%20world. Accessed 26 Nov. 2021.
