You do the maths

I have been talking about the use of short implants to various groups over the past 15 years. In articles, advertorials, lectures, study groups and roadshows, I have discussed subjects such as simplicity, surgical ease, restorative completxity and I have even talked about money.

The money, the business and profit from treatment is the lifeblood of your practice. Time and again, when questioning the brave souls prepared to listen to our musings, we are amazed and saddened to hear of those who are paying massive amounts for their components and lab bills but still charging low fees because 'that's all the patients can afford,' or 'I want to do implant dentistry but I don't do much because I can't charge enough to make money'.

I don't know how you figure out patient fees. Is it by time, degree of difficulty, overhead? Dentists seem to be terrible business people compared to others but that's maybe understandable because of the intangibility of the treatment process and unpredictability of outcome.