Opportunity knocks

In April, change was forced upon us all. For some it was a time of great uncertainty and worry, while for others it was a time of excitement and opportunity. One opportunity I hope many took advantage of was the chance to start delivering great periodontal and preventative care to your patients.

After April, many practices found themselves wanting to increase the amount of private dentistry they did. For them, developing the cosmetic care they provide should be a priority.

Within these practices there will be many patients who will require both pre and post-operative periodontal and preventative care, giving you the chance to nurture a repeatable source of income.

Periodontal diagnostics and risk assessments should be included in the care package these practices provide. Preventative instruction and sundry sales related to this will also significantly benefit your patients.

There is a real depth and artistry to the non–surgical therapy we provide, both as a scientific subject and treatment regime. It conveys massive benefits to our patients and provides practices with an ongoing income stream. It can also be given to other members of the dental team to do and should form the basis of the more advanced forms of restorative and cosmetic dental treatments offered.

To provide the best care we can, three things are needed:

• Sufficient time to do the work and the skills to sell time at an appropriate hourly rate

• Knowledge

• The creativity needed to help us develop new ideas.

Non-surgical therapy is a topic that can be made as interesting as cosmetic porcelains, crowns and bridgework. To develop this concept further, I was asked to participate in the Talking Points lecture tour in May.

As part of the evening, I discussed tooth wear as part of the overall preventative concept. Tooth wear prevention and treatment can be developed as a care package in the same way as periodontal therapy. For instance, by combining diagnosis and preventative strategies with restorative treatment, in more advanced cases. Parts of this process can also be delegated to other members of the dental team in the same way as periodontal care.

Quick Tips:

• Increasing the amount of private dentistry your practice offers can be achieved by providing more cosmetic care

• Offering pre and post-operative periodontal and preventative care can provide practices with a repeatable source of income

• Non-surgical therapy can provide practices with an ongoing income stream too

• Periodontics and preventative procedures can be delegated to other members of the dental team

• Providing great patient care requires time, knowledge and creativity.

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