How to Improve Your Dental Office’s Productivity and Efficiency
Americans have an acute need for dental care. According to The Washington Post, 26 percent of U.S. adults have untreated dental cavities, and a stunning 46 percent of adults over 30 have signs of gum disease.
Meanwhile, 37 percent of U.S. adults over 18 haven’t visited a dentist in the past year, increasing the likelihood of future preventable oral health maladies.
While this is bad news for currently untreated patients, there is an upside: they want to receive dental care. One industry survey found that 95 percent of adults “agree that oral health is essential to overall health,” and 60 percent said they would “continue to receive routine, preventive dental care to avoid major health care costs down the line, even if money were tight.”
The challenge is providing enough access to dental care, something made more difficult as practices face hiring challenges and already bloated caseloads.
The solution is simple: practices must increase productivity and efficiency to serve more patients, produce higher revenues, and become more sustainable. Understanding what can increase productivity in a dental office is key.
Here are five ways to increase production in dental offices now.
#1 Use Digital Scans
Digitalization is driving dental practice productivity, including diagnostic and treatment options.
Specifically, using digital scans and impressions, computerized molds of a patient’s mouth created by an intraoral scanner, produce better results faster than their traditional counterparts. With digital dental impressions, dental practitioners avoid mixing mold materials and waiting for physical imprints to harden. These digital images can also be shared electronically with dental labs, significantly reducing the time it takes to start working on the patient’s treatment plan.
By using updated technology to capture records, such as facial scans, 3D scans, intraoral scans, or CT scans, you can improve productivity by getting better results in less time.
As an added bonus, digital records are easy to access and search, so teams don’t spend time searching file folders for patient records. They’re immediately accessible whenever and wherever practitioners need them.
#2 Automate Repeated Tasks
Automating some office tasks can save time and improve patient engagement.
For example, practices can provide an iPad or a link where patients can fill in their own personal information when they check in for an appointment. By empowering patients to provide their own personal information, dental practices use less of their time to collect rudimentary patient details, allowing them to maximize time with their patients.
Additionally, relying on automated messaging technologies to send patient appointment reminders can alleviate scheduling concerns and support revenue growth by keeping doctors’ schedules as full as possible.
According to one industry study, one in five patients is a no-show for their appointments, costing practices time, money, and opportunity. Reminders improve appointment attendance, driving revenue outcomes without further straining in-office staff.
Similarly, leveraging this technology to send automated, personalized follow-up messages, birthday celebrations, and other meaningful communication can help cultivate and sustain the patient relationships that drive thriving practices.
#3 Pre Screen Patients for Eligibility
Pre Screening patients for eligibility can help you understand their history and needs before they even walk through the door. This can save time and reduce frustration for both patients and staff.
By gathering vital information such as insurance details, dental history, and specific treatment needs ahead of time, dental practices can better prepare for each patient's visit. This can lead to a more accurate assessment of the required treatments, efficient time management, and improved allocation of resources.
Critically, prescreening allows dental professionals to identify potential high-risk patients, enabling them to take necessary precautions and adjust treatment plans accordingly.
#4 Build Strong Communication Within Your Team
Excellent oral health care depends on everyone – from the dentist to the office manager – working together to support patient outcomes. In a fast-paced, highly-collaborative environment, an effective communication system is essential.
Efficient communication can facilitate the timely exchange of information regarding case status, regular office updates, inventory management, and other essential aspects of the practice. By keeping everyone in the loop, the entire team can maintain a steady workflow and prevent any single individual from becoming a bottleneck, which could negatively impact the overall efficiency of the practice.
Various communication tools can be employed to enhance the flow of information within the dental practice. For instance, using integrated practice management software can streamline the sharing of patient records, treatment plans, and appointment schedules among team members.
Adopting team messaging platforms and virtual meeting tools can help staff easily communicate with each other, whether they are in the same office or working remotely. Regular team meetings or huddles can also be scheduled to discuss ongoing cases, address any challenges, and celebrate successes.
#5 Continue Evolving
The best dental practices are iterative. They constantly evaluate their efforts, measure outcomes, and reflect on emerging best practices.
With the growing need for dental care in the United States, it is crucial for dental practices to increase productivity and efficiency to meet the demands of their patients. By automating routine tasks, pre-screening patients, fostering strong communication within the team, and continuously evolving, dental practices can serve more patients, generate higher revenues, and become more sustainable in the long run.
Most importantly, it’s crucial to remain agile, and continue evolving to make the most out of every opportunity.
Dental Science is here to help you take the next step. Our state-of-the-art dental laboratory has been serving dentists and their patients for over 20 years. With more than 100 years of combined experience in the dental field, our team is ready to help you become the most efficient, productive, and impactful dental practice possible.