How High-Quality Dental Equipment Impacts Patient Care and Practice Success?

A dental practice is a business that is designed to provide optimal patient care while at the same time making enough money so that it becomes self-sustaining.

Some practices will also venture into the highly lucrative world of cosmetic and restorative dentistry and open up a network of franchises.

The point here is that, while patient care is of paramount importance, practice managers need to increasingly think of themselves as business managers.

You may be able to gain a fresh perspective by considering the impact of the latest dental equipment on both the patient and the practice.

How High-Quality Dental Equipment Impacts Patient Care?

Advanced Equipment for Personalisation

The use of CAD/CAM technology allows practices to take a more personalised approach to fit everything from dentures and implants to bridges and veneers.

By using a granular level of patient data to make nuanced adjustments to prosthetics, they can make sure that cosmetic and functional issues are addressed without compromise.

Going back a step, high-resolution imaging equipment allows dentists to identify complex issues beneath the gums and recommend an appropriate treatment pathway.

Being able to see issues in more and more detail allows dental professionals to fully personalise the treatments they recommend.

Ergonomic Equipment for Patient Comfort

An anxious or nervous patient is only going to experience a higher level of stress when they are placed in an uncomfortable or unnatural posture.

The use of fully adjustable, padded dental chairs can greatly help in this respect. The use of adjustable mirrors that show patients what the dentist is seeing can also provide context that puts their minds at ease.

Patients who are more relaxed and trust their dentists are significantly more likely to refer friends and family.

They are also going to find it considerably easier to maintain the designed posture and orientation for a prolonged period of time, resulting in more efficient treatment delivery.

If we combine all of these factors, we start to see that an initial focus on patient comfort soon results in higher patient throughput, higher patient satisfaction ratings, and higher referral rates.

What benefits the patient quickly benefits the practice and allows it to scale even when it is in a highly competitive local market.

Reliable Equipment for Agile Operation

This point is best illustrated with an example many reading this will be able to relate to.

Suppose you are a practice manager trying to sell more high-end cosmetic or restorative treatments. In that case, you need to have a dental curing light that is reliable, efficient, and requires minimal maintenance and servicing.

If any of these interrelated factors are missed or overlooked, the result will be longer treatment times and higher servicing and maintenance costs.

Taking the time to source every piece of equipment from a highly regarded supplier of specialist dental equipment is the way to go here.

Find someone with a nationwide delivery network and continuous stock availability and you will be able to focus on what you do best without any of those costly unforeseen delays.

Effective Equipment for Patient Retention

Many people try to avoid any form of confrontation with a service provider, even going as far as to draw a line under substandard outcomes by silently leaving and going elsewhere.

This is something that dental patients will do if they are unhappy just in the same way that diners at restaurants or buyers of a particular brand of shoes will take their money elsewhere.

Practice managers who are attuned to this reality of consumer behaviour will be able to grow and scale far more quickly by retaining a higher percentage of their existing patients.

They will recognise that every time an existing patient leaves, they have to spend on marketing to attract a replacement. The result is a practice that is spending its advertising budget and largely standing still.

Equipment that is highly effective and delivers the results patients expect is going to make a considerable difference in retention rates.

Patients want to know that your dental care team will solve any issues they are experiencing with their dental health without delay.

Show them that this is the case with a clinic equipped with the very latest treatment and care facilities and you will never look back.

Final Thoughts

Practices sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that they have to choose between cheap and affordable equipment and a small number of high-profile pieces of equipment.

The truth is that the most successful practices recognise the value of investing in high-quality equipment on every level, from everyday disposables to high-end imaging systems.

The more that is invested into dental equipment, the more positive the treatment outcomes will be, and the more the practice will grow as a result.