How to Streamline Dental Implant Procedures
Dental implants can transform patients' lives. Whether they suffer from tooth loss, decay, or other oral health maladies, this prominent procedure is restoring oral health in once-unimaginable ways.
Unsurprisingly, millions of people have undergone these procedures as advancements in technology, materials, and research have made it the most popular tooth replacement option today. Yet while over 150 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, just one million receive implant care. That means there’s a $13 billion opportunity for practices to grow their business and support their patients by expanding access to dental implant procedures.
However, dental implant procedures are often perceived to be invasive and time-intensive. For practices to prioritize patient care and optimize staffing resources, they must invest in efficient dental implant procedures. Here are five ways you can streamline dental implant procedures to produce better outcomes for your patients and your practice.
Invest in 3D Scanning Technology
3D dental CT scans are an upgrade over traditional 2D scans, which offer a quick way to attain a limited understanding of a patient’s oral health. The emergence of 3D technology paints an even clearer picture, creating value for patients and providers alike.
With 3D scans, you can quickly and accurately identify the exact pain location, creating faster, more accurate treatment plans. By producing images in real-time, you can manipulate scans to gain a more holistic understanding of unresolved patient caries, and generate treatment plans to account for unique or complicated patient oral health concerns.
What’s more, you can use 3D scans to make surgical guides that you can use to 3D print, or contract with a producer to maximize resources and patient care opportunities. Collectively, 3D scans make dental implant procedures significantly more accurate and efficient.
Incorporate CAD/CAM Technology
Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology revolutionizes dental implant procedures by offering faster, more precise, highly efficient workflows.
Using an intraoral scanner creates a digital impression of the patient's oral cavity. With this data, a custom abutment and a perfectly fitted crown can be designed, then fabricated using milling units or 3D printers.
Incorporating CAD/CAM technology not only reduces manual errors, but also decreases procedure times and eliminates the need for multiple patient visits. At the same time, this workflow allows you to engage patients more adeptly in the treatment process by offering a more modern, comfortable, and engaging dental experience.
Stay Up-to-Date on Evolving Best Practices
Streamlining dental implant procedures is not solely about implementing advanced technologies—it also requires well-trained dental professionals. Regular training and continuing education for you and your team on the latest implant techniques and technologies ensures that your practice is prepared to deliver efficient and successful treatments.
Automate Patient Follow-Up
Post-procedure follow-up is critical to ensure the patient’s well-being and satisfaction after a dental implant procedure.
Rather than inundating staff with this responsibility, you can automate certain outreach efforts to support overall efficient dental implant procedures. For example, use automated solutions to send personalized follow-up messages, surveys, post-care instructions, or other meaningful messaging.
This time-staving step allows you to cultivate and sustain patient relationships after a dental implant procedure without compromising your staff’s productivity.
Measure Improvement Over Time
Efficient and effective practices measure their progress over time to identify bottlenecks and continually improve processes. Identifying a few key metrics, like revenue growth, patient satisfaction or procedure efficiency can help you highlight inefficiencies and capitalize on opportunities for improvement and progressive success.
In other words, practices that stay aware stay efficient. Measure what matters most to your practice, and regularly evaluate outcomes to refine processes and maximize efficiencies over time.
Embrace Efficiency and Innovation
Dental implant procedures present a golden opportunity for dental practices to expand their services and contribute meaningfully to their patients' quality of life. Despite being complex and time-consuming, these procedures can be efficiently managed and improved through the strategic integration of advanced technology, continuous education, automation, and performance tracking.
Are you ready to take the next step in transforming your dental practice? Visit DentalScience.com or connect with our dedicated team to learn more about how we can support you and help you provide outstanding care for your patients.