Optimising time and cost-efficiencies
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 10th March 2022
The primary concern for every dentist is the delivery of safe and effective dental care for patients. To achieve this while creating an all-round positive patient experience, clinical excellence needs to be balanced with time- and cost-efficiencies. Not only will these make treatment more appealing to a patient, but they will also enable the dentist to better manage their schedules and their finances, ultimately ensuring a win-win situation for all involved.
Orthodontic opportunities
As the demand for improved dental aesthetics continues to grow worldwide, the opportunity for GDPs to grow their businesses through orthodontics is extensive. In the UK, demand for orthodontics has been rising for some time, with a significant and sudden uplift noted since the pandemic began.[i] This means that many clinicians have benefited from increased interest in their orthodontic services, particularly with regards to removable clear aligners. Not only does providing this treatment option cater to the needs and expectations of patients and encourage their satisfaction, but it may also help individuals to maintain enhanced oral hygiene long-term with improved access making plaque removal easier. From a professional perspective, it offers an avenue for dentists to diversify their skills and generate additional revenue. To maximise on the many advantages available, it’s important to select the most appropriate system and streamline processes.
The most precious commodity
Time is often heralded as the most precious and valuable commodity in the modern world. In any business, time-management is essential for the delivery of the best products or service. In the dental practice, this is even more important as productivity can determine how many patients receive the healthcare and support they need. Of course, it is not about simply working faster as this may compromise quality of care. Rather, the dental team must find ways to increase efficiencies so that treatment can be planned and executed effectively within the shortest possible timeframe.
Digital technologies have done much to save us time in many different aspects of our lives. It has been estimated that technology saves the average person two weeks every year, including use of self-service checkouts, internet shopping or banking, mobile traffic updates and sat-navs, ready meals, contact payments and online bus or train timetables.[ii] It follows that significant time can also be saved within businesses that utilise similar technology to streamline everyday tasks.
In the practice, digital dentistry affords time-saving benefits in both clinical and non-clinical aspects. Applying a digital workflow to orthodontics means faster data collection, more reliable diagnosis and highly accurate treatment planning for predictable treatment and outstanding results alongside rapid treatment times. In many cases, the workflow is supported by an intraoral scanner, digital design software and treatment simulations, which can also increase treatment acceptance. Remote treatment monitoring software saves further surgery time during active treatment by reducing the number of practice visits for patients, without compromising the standard of support and control the clinician has.
Budget management
Quality of results and speed of treatment are just two areas that patients and professionals need to optimise. Another is cost. Once again, this is not about seeking the cheapest option, but ensuring that the systems, materials and technologies used represent value for money. The predictability of digital solutions can also enable the dental professional to more precisely plan and manage budgets, helping to boost profits and streamline patient costs as well.
The ClearCorrect® clear aligner system makes this even simpler with its recently expanded assortment of treatment options. These cater to the needs of every case, covering everything from the Flex pay-as-you-go solution for relapse cases to the Unlimited option covering as many aligners, retainers and revisions as are required for a complex case. ClearCorrect® is also available as part of a comprehensive digital workflow to ensure maximum efficiencies and a smooth treatment process for both patient and practitioner. Visit the website or contact the Straumann Group for more details.
A practice builder
Orthodontics clearly has an important place in modern dentistry, with both professionals and patients driving its development. With innovative technologies and systems implemented to optimise time- and cost-efficiencies, treatment can also be very seamlessly and successfully integrated within daily life. Patient demand for aesthetic smile enhancement, especially when seeking a discreet and affordable solution, makes removable orthodontics a prosperous field for GDPs to get involved with.
For more information on ClearCorrect®, visit: https://www.straumann.com/clearcorrect/en/home.html
[i] BOS. ‘The Zoom Boom’ BOS stats reveal a surge for orthodontics during the pandemic. May 2021. https://www.bos.org.uk/news-and-events/news [Accessed January 2022]
[ii] Francis G. modern technology saves the average person two weeks each year, study claims. The independent. December 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/technology-time-saving-self-service-shopping-online-banking-tasks-study-a8668281.html[Accessed January 2022]
