Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
For our ‘Tech Insights’ week, we reached out to experts in digital dentistry, shared some of our best advice and celebrated a few customers who have made the most of their relationship with Patterson. Keep reading for a recap of some of the content we shared throughout the past week.
For many new and longtime dental practices, the thought of expansion can be daunting. Questions persist about how to take on more patients in an existing space and whether the adoption of newer technology will help dentists deliver services faster. But with the help of Patterson Dental educator Kathy Brodal, a new practice in North Dakota reached its goals in less than six years.
To say that 2020 was a year of rapid change is an understatement. After a brief shutdown of practices across the country due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the dental industry reopened with the adoption of new technologies, stricter infection control guidelines and a renewed focus on personal and team wellness. Linda Harvey, MS, RDH, HRM, shares her thoughts on what’s in store for 2021.
Practice management software can generate all kinds of metrics on your practice, but which ones are the most important, and how do you improve those figures and, by extension, your business?
A break in the “normal” routine has presented clinicians with an opportunity to revisit common elective procedures that patients will request upon their return. If there’s a less invasive way to achieve highly esthetic results in the anterior, now is an ideal time to explore those techniques and revamp your material armamentarium.
Integrating these tools and strategies will improve practice efficiency and impress upon your patients how important their comfort and safety are to you.
The WHO recently recommended the delay of routine dental care in certain situations due to COVID-19. In a written response, the ADA said it “respectfully yet strongly disagrees” with the WHO’s recommendation. Roger P. Levin, DDS, shared a video outlining a scripted response dental practices can use to address patient concerns. Dr. Levin also offers three signs that may signal patients are opting out of routine dental care due to this news.
As dental practices get comfortable operating in the “new normal,” the burden of wearing—and storing—extra PPE and time spent disinfecting operatories between patients continues to be a challenge. To meet these challenges, dentists are looking for new ways to save valuable chair time and streamline inventory management.
Oral healthcare is essential at any age, but for children, maintaining a healthy mouth holds special importance. Dental caries is the most common chronic childhood infectious disease. As of 2015, approximately 573 million children worldwide had at least one untreated cavity.
The current recommendation for when to replace a scaler is when 20% of the instrument blade width or length is reduced or no longer the original design. But how long it takes for each instrument to reach this threshold is dependent on several factors. Deb (Hume) Brown, RDH, shares some of these factors and how a failure to replace instruments can affect the clinician and the patient.
As dental practices continue to examine infection control guidelines to meet the demands of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, it’s important to consider how patients will feel as they walk into your office. A-dec has many solutions to not only improve the safety of your office, but also to visually show patients you’re keeping their health at the forefront.
As part of its webinar series on supporting a new digital patient journey, Solutionreach recently shared some of the key areas of focus when communicating with patients during COVID-19. As patients look for a variety of up-to-date information, their healthcare provider could likely be their best source of trusted information.
Social distancing massively effects the dental industry, forcing us to change what our standard procedures are. In this new reality, we can’t just go paperless, we must go touchless. Continue reading for steps dental practices can take to provide a touch-free dental experience.
Curbside waiting rooms and curbside check-in have become a necessity for dental practices. The experts at RevenueWell share how to successfully communicate, and create, this new reality to patients.
Todd Wizner and Ben Wizner, also known as the “Wiz Dental Guys,” are a father-son duo of Patterson reps with knowledge spanning almost 35 years. Their unwavering commitment to their customers has especially shone through as the COVID-19 crisis has hit the nation. They knew this was going to have a big impact not only on their personal day-to-day jobs, but also on their core customers’ businesses.
As dental offices re-open and face the challenges created by COVID-19, how can a practice maintain the patient experience that patients have come to expect yet create reduced contact points within the practice? Ann-Marie DePalma, RDH, shares several ways to create a touchless patient experience.
As states lift stay-at-home orders and dental offices welcome back patients, it is essential to keep patient comfort and safety at the forefront while maximizing appointment efficiencies. The Solea laser is one way your practice can introduce an anesthesia-free appointment that reduces aerosols and allows you to get more work done with each appointment.
As we reenter the practice world, one question dominates every conversation. How do we best reduce the aerosol generated during dental treatment? David Rice, DDS, shares four ways you can keep you, your team and your patients safe.
Whether you’re handling emergencies only, entirely shut down, or taking initial steps to reopen, you’re no doubt focused on the near-term future of your practice. Kathy Brodal, a Patterson Dental business educator, offers eight ways to plan, prepare and pull off a strategy for propelling your business forward effectively.
After being closed for a few weeks, reopening your dental practice can be a stressful task that may not be well rehearsed among your staff. Creating a task list, communicating with your staff and patients, and ensuring a safe office space will help assure a smooth reopening transition.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many dentists have turned to teledentistry to stay connected with patients while practicing social distancing; providing consultation, evaluation and next step actions. But as with any new technology, teledentistry brings about new questions. Healthcare risk management and compliance expert, Linda Harvey, RDH, shares her expertise in assuring the teledentistry technology you choose for your practice is compliant with HIPAA rules and keeps the privacy and security of your patients intact.
Although every patient who enters a dental office should be treated as if they could have an infectious disease; times like these help us pause, take a step back and make sure we’re compliant with current guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Here are some ways to make sure your dental office is OSHA compliant.
By remaining open for emergency cases, dentists are helping to keep patients out of emergency rooms (ER) – reducing the burden on critical health care facilities that are overwhelmed amid the COVID-19 crisis. As the #DentalER social media movement gains traction, read on for some some dental emergency stats to put things in perspective.
Many dental practices across the country have postponed all elective procedures or are closed completely due to the coronavirus pandemic. With the uncertainty of the COVID-19 crisis, it’s important to remain positive, stay informed and look for opportunities to help you and your practice grow.
Recognizing a need for growth, the first instinct for Drs. Michael Mefford and Keith Ellis was to add on to the existing building. However, the “big picture” told them otherwise. Now in a new location with a 6,700-square-foot space, they’ve been able to expand their dental hygiene team, hire an associate dentist and invest in new equipment and technology.
“I knew for a long time that I wanted to open a practice in my hometown,” says Dr. Carla Thomas. “I’m so passionate about this community and I want to give back.” Dr. Thomas didn’t cut any corners when designing her practice. She wanted to build something that the people of Inglewood would be proud of by investing in the newest technology, buying CEREC equipment and purchasing products that would allow her and her staff to perform the latest techniques.
When planning to relocate and build out a larger office, Dr. Ricky L. Farmer trusted Patterson Dental to help him see his vision through. At nearly 8,000-square-feet, Lake Pointe Dental Care is now at 10 operational operatories with the capacity to go to 16, and the staff has more than doubled.
Staying on the same page with your team isn’t something that just happens. If there is no effort and attention to detail in this aspect of your practice, your path to success will be slow and miserable. Getting on the same page and staying there […]
The ADA Annual Meeting will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. from Thurs., Nov. 5 – Sat., Nov. 7 and is sure to be packed with industry information, updates on cutting-edge technology and opportunities to connect with other dental […]
Dr. Todd Engel is the founder of Engel Institute, a private teaching entity specializing in hands-on live-surgery implant training. A diplomate of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, Dr. Engel maintains a private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, treating complex restorative and implant cases. In […]