The focus of the profession is now sharply focused around patient outcomes; dentists need to be more concerned than ever about making sure that the investments they make in their practice deliver great value for patients. The GDC’s Standards for the Dental Team (2013), new CQC guidelines and the newly launched Friends and Family Test are all aimed in one direction – to increase transparency of information and patient satisfaction. I believe digitisation is a perfect fit for healthcare that meets patient demands.
Logically, all successful businesses are driven to a certain extent by their ability to meet the demands of their customers; the most successful businesses are likely to be those which are able to foresee future trends and react to them, keeping one step ahead of the game.
Predicting the direction of new technology however can be difficult, even for large corporations. Guessing which will be the next Facebook phenomenon and which will prove to be a Sinclair C5 isn’t easy. Take Kodak for example – until the 1990s Kodak was regularly rated one of the world’s five most valuable brands. But despite having a digital strategy in place, Kodak’s executives failed to react to the speed of change and the commoditisation of digital technology and were ultimately forced to file for bankruptcy in 2012. Kodak’s failure was not a result of anything inherently wrong with its product, its brand recognition or a lack of customer service, it was the inflexibility and inability to react quickly enough to a change that the management team did not believe would happen.
Dentists can learn an important lesson from the Kodak experience by opening their minds to the reasons why customers, or in their case patients, might find benefits in a digital rather than an analogue experience. Customers embraced digital photography because it offered tangible benefits over traditional methods. It was faster and you could delete images immediately rather than wait two weeks for them to be returned from the developers. So although at the outset this speed and convenience came at a cost, there were always early adopters ready to pay a premium for the perceived benefits. In the intervening decades the price of the technology has plummeted and consumer demand has ensured that digital photography has become mainstream and is now the accepted norm.
So what does this example teach us about the integration of digitisation into dental practices? Firstly, it demonstrates unequivocally that the consumer is king. In dentistry we already know the importance of patient satisfaction and the power of word of mouth referral. Secondly, we learn that if the technology works and the customer experience is one of value, then take-up will be swift.
The technology now available within dentistry has never been better. The integration of different elements of the digital workflow – from practice management, through imaging, scanning, design and milling, to final restorative solution can now be completed seamlessly.
Until now the growth of digitisation in dentistry has been largely to do with practitioner benefits but there is now a perceptible shift in emphasis. In line with a more patient centred philosophy the benefits that digitisation holds for
patients are coming to the fore.
Accuracy
Although patients don’t often realise it the most uncertain part of a restorative procedure is that moment when they sit in the chair ready for their final restoration to be fitted. Unlike analogue impressions, which may only reveal inaccuracies when the dentist tries to seat a completed crown, a digital scan provides immediate preparation feedback at the chairside. Using digital processes for design and manufacture, as well as for impression taking, minimises concerns about whether a restoration will fit, resulting in less remakes and improved patient satisfaction.
Speed
Single appointment restorations are providing a solution which certain patients, particularly those who are time poor, are demanding in increasing numbers. The ability to have an impression taken and a restoration designed, milled and fitted in a single visit is a revelation for many patients; you can be sure that as word spreads about these services demand will grow.
Comfort
One of the most uncomfortable procedures that patients face when having restorative treatment is impression taking. Digitisation replaces impression materials and trays with a clean, simple to use and highly accurate intra oral camera and now powderless systems make the process an even cleaner procedure.
Technology
Don’t underestimate the impressive nature of new technology and the value this adds in the eyes of your patients.
Positioning your practice at the forefront of the latest dental procedures will give you the edge in an increasingly competitive dental market.
Technology for technology’s sake makes no sense, neither for dentists nor patients. Technology that changes the patient experience for the better is quite another matter. The current offering of an integrated digital platform is now a reality, bringing patients a cleaner, faster and more accurate type of dentistry.
Some dentists are happy to maintain the status quo and are resistant to change, but I would warn against such complacency. Beware the ‘Kodak scenario’! Services, like those provided by Connect Dental, exist to help dentists understand the value of an integrated digital approach and to support them in their move to digitalisation. The education, training and guidance available make it easier to deliver the benefits offered by digital solutions to the public. Dentistry is undergoing a paradigm shift and the rate of uptake is growing faster every year, can you afford to be left behind?