A look at advancing clinical standards to increase patient satisfaction.
Dental professionals today have a lot to live up to. Technological developments, increasing access to information and evolving beauty standards have combined to create unique patient expectations. Though healthcare is – and always will be – at the core of dentistry, today’s profession is just as much about improving patients’ quality of life, enhancing their smile aesthetics and restoring their confidence. To meet the highest standards, dentists need the right skills, materials, technologies and technical support. The right components will help individuals go from providing good dentistry to great dentistry.
Professional satisfaction
When dentists do get it right, there are several benefits to be enjoyed. Not least of these is the professional satisfaction created by advancing capabilities and delivering exceptional outcomes that your patients will love. Following the past year, when job satisfaction has been challenging for many, it is important to love what you do once again.
But being able to enjoy your work – especially given the significant number of waking hours spent in the practice – is just the beginning. You will likely have come across studies suggesting positive correlations between job satisfaction and productivity, as well as those that link it to organisational performance (albeit fairly loosely). Any improvement in either area will be beneficial to you and your practice, facilitating access to quality care for patients, enhancing daily efficiency for the professional team and improving dentists’ earning potential in the long-run.
In addition, there is evidence to suggest that job satisfaction may be positively correlated with general satisfaction in life. A bi-directional relationship may exist, which may be impacted by many different factors, but happiness at work is an important component for one’s general contentment in all areas of life. Perhaps similarly, it has also been associated with mental health, which is particularly relevant given the global situation right now.
Happy patients, happy you
The other aspect of elevating clinical standards and delivering stand-out dental care is the resulting impact on patients. Individuals who are happy with the treatment and service they receive are your and your practice’s best advocates. Not only will they come back any time they need dental support, but they will also recommend you to family and friends, or leave glowing online reviews. All of this facilitates the growth of your business and the stability of your practice.
To really maximise on the potential benefits, however, you will need to go above and beyond in some way. Except in emergency situations, dental patients today are highly consumer-driven and they will shop around for a practice and dentist that give them the best experience for what they are looking for. To encourage their loyalty, you need to take the patient journey from good to great, which means optimising each step in the treatment process and beyond.
A team effort
Everything from the efficiency of your practice management software to the versatility of your restorative materials, the comfort of your dental chairs and the diversity of your treatment range will influence patient satisfaction. The dental laboratory you work with is just as important. They will have a significant impact on the quality of products you provide for your patient and a team effort is required to ensure accuracy, quality and durability of solutions fabricated.
Rodericks Dental works hard to give its dentists all the tools and support they need to deliver excellent patient care and achieve high job satisfaction. Rodericks Dental ensures all of its dentists have clinical freedom, with a broad range of high-quality materials to choose from. They can also select their own (DAMAS-registered) laboratory, with the option to work with our industry-leading, full-service lab, Oral Ceramics. The team of dental technicians have more than 20 years of experience in implantology while providing all manner of NHS and private services. Significant investment has also recently introduced cutting-edge technologies and facilities to further elevate the standards consistently achieved, as well as expanding capacity for practices both within and outside of the Rodericks network.
Neil Powell, Rodericks Dental director of Oral Ceramics commented, “At Oral Ceramics, we are very focused on communication with our dentists. We work with them closely to provide tailored support and resolve issues quickly, ensuring a seamless patient experience. We get involved early in the treatment process so we can pick up potential queries before they become problems. Basically, we don’t believe in excuses, but concentrate on getting cases right the first time.”
Raising the bar
The difference between delivering good dentistry and great dentistry can have a substantial impact on the dentist, the practice and the patient. Raising the bar requires the optimisation of various elements throughout the business and treatment workflow. When higher standards are met, all will benefit.
For more information visit http://www.rodericksdental.co.uk/ or visit https://www.oral-ceramics.co.uk/