Dr Phillip Palmer, February 2017
Being an ‘old school’ dentist who practiced in the 1970s through to early in the new milennium, I’ve seen my fair share of changes. And the big question I am often asked by younger dentists is ‘Do you think dentistry is tougher now than when you started practicing?’.
My answer is a resounding yes, I do believe it has changed dramatically and dentistry is a lot harder today than it was 20 years ago. There’s no question that today’s techniques and technology have made the standard we can deliver higher than it used to be, with better materials, and less painful techniques generally. But even with all the advances in technology, the better quality of training available and the increase in communication skills, there are still a lot more challenging tasks than there used to be.
Today, there is more to think about and to manage alongside the clinical aspects. Here are six of the key ways I see that dentistry has evolved, and increased in challenge.
1. There’s a lot more technology to adapt to
In the past 20 years, we’ve seen the introduction of CEREC (or should we say CAD/CAM?), cone beam imaging, digital radiography and a ton of other new technologies.
What this means for dentists is extra learning time, and extra capital cost of purchasing the equipment. There is no way around it. You have to spend more up front to give patients the services that, to many patients, are now considered the norm.
2. A lack of loyalty in patients
In the past, a patient would come to see you once, and if they thought you were ok, you were their dentist for life. Now, they see you more as a service provider and a commodity.
Dentists, today, are available at all hours of the day and night. Weekend emergency clinics and after hours appointments are the norms. Because of this, a dentist needs to find ways to increase patient loyalty to keep them a patient for life. If your patients haven’t been in for the last year or so, the chances are they’ve gone somewhere else!
Your existing patients are being marketed to all the time, both subtly and not so subtly. They get billboard ads, advertising flyers in their letter box, in their insurance bills, online on Facebook, social media and other websites.
Who would blame them for ‘shopping around’, especially if they are driven by price? It’s probably what you yourself do in other areas of your life.
3. Increased competition from corporates
The corporates have caused many positive changes in the industry. They have caused increased awareness of costs and of general profitability and they have increased the general professionalism in the dental market.
They have also created employment in the industry and career paths where there had been none. And they have increased the number of ways a dentist can exit the profession and if they were practice owners, have increased the value that they can achieve when they sell their practice.
But the corporates have at the same time increased the complexity of our lives in numerous ways. They have been responsible for much of the increase in marketing costs to stay in competition with them. They have been drivers of the decrease in wage commissions for employed, or contracted dentists (a two-edged sword depending if you are a practice owner or not). They have also been the cause of an increase in the costs of purchasing a dental practice.
4. Social media & online reviews
The growth of the web and the ability for people to rate and review you and your website can have a huge impact on your business.
Patients today have access to unlimited information online. They often come to you pre-diagnosed, and sometimes with a price range in mind. These are now just realities of what life is like working as a dentist. As a dentist, we have to be aware of and adapt to technology and use it to our advantage.
All dental practices need to be aware of their digital presence with regard to their website, their reviews, their visibility on search engines and what the other nearby practices are doing, as well as what is best practice in the industry.
The success of your practice may well depend on it!
5. Generational Shifts and new needs
As the world has adjusted to technology, there has also been a generational shift. The younger Millennial Generation has now become a larger part of the work force. Today, over 36 percent of the workforce is comprised of this generation. By 2020, nearly half will be. This generation brings with it new values, new ways of working and new expectations.
Working with the Millennials means understanding their needs as people, as well as employees. Having a clear strategy for their career progress is crucial to retaining high quality employees.
6. Practice management consultants the norm
It may sound self-serving to point out the increasing popularity of practice management consultants. But in 1970, this industry didn’t exist. When I began Prime Practice in 1994, I thought I’d end up with a part-time secretary, and do a bit of training and consulting part-time. I never in my wildest dreams thought Prime Practice would end up consulting and training all over Australia, NZ, Singapore, UK, USA and Canada.
I never anticipated a team of more than 40 people working to service our clients.
But in hindsight, it’s because of the increasing complexity of running a dental practice in so many areas (HR, communication, compliance, business skills, marketing, staff training, and increased competition), that, to be successful in all those areas, most practitioners and practice owners are recognising they need help.
So yes, dentistry is a tougher business than it used to be. But all hope is not lost! There is also huge potential upside.
One of the key tactics of ‘old school’ dentists still is just as valuable today. Because the competition is tougher, those that work to continually improve and upgrade have a chance to grab a large part of the market they are in. But this requires a plan, and the willingness to invest for a long term benefit.
It all comes down to knowing the reality of the business you are in and then adapting your skills and your team to better compete in the new reality.
The times will always be ‘a-changin’, but the question is, are you willing to change yourself along with them?
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About the author
Dr Phillip Palmer ran a successful dental practice in the Sydney CBD for 34 years. He is the founder and director of Prime Practice which is the industry-leading practice management company in Australia and New Zealand, helping dentists manage and grow their businesses at any stage of their career. Phillip has a deep understanding of all the different management, financial and professional issues that face dentists and is regarded as Australasia’s leading expert on the business of dentistry. Through Prime, Phillip is available to carry out a thorough practice analysis, to establish where there is untouched value in your practice.