Mobile treatment units – why bother?
NewsPosted by: Dental Design 10th August 2020
If you don’t currently provide a domiciliary dental service, you may think that you wouldn’t benefit from investing in mobile dental units. The truth, however, is that you could be missing out on several opportunities by limiting yourself and your team to delivering care with only in-surgery equipment.
Portability
The most obvious advantage of mobile treatment units is the ability to move them around – all you need is a source of electricity. This means you can use the units in any surgery within the practice, or even travel between more than one clinic where necessary. The easy manoeuvrability of the latest solutions also creates opportunities to expand services in order to care for more people.
Potential new revenue streams
Not least of these is the chance to work with local care homes and to deliver the essential dental treatment that so many older people need. You will have seen the CQC report following an investigation into the oral health structure support available to residents in UK care homes from 2019.[i] Amongst several concerning findings, it suggested that more than half of the care homes reviewed had no policies in place to promote or protect residents’ oral health. Being able and willing to work with your local care home teams could therefore be an amazing way for you to broaden your reach of care and support your local community.
From a business point of view, this affords several advantages as well. Many care home residents will be willing to pay for a dental service, establishing a new revenue stream for the practice. This would be consistent and regular income, helping to boost the practice’s long-term sustainability and help the business recover from losses incurred throughout 2020 so far. Most procedures required by residents would also likely be fairly simple, so time can be spent giving oral health instruction and educating carers as well.
Enhanced services
Aside from working with local care homes, a portable dental unit could enable you to initiate a domiciliary dental service, as another potential source of income. This also means that you can offer more convenient and accessible care for high-need or high-risk patients who may otherwise find it difficult or be unable to visit the practice for their routine check-up or treatment due to health reasons or because they continue to shield from COVID-19.
This kind of offering extends your ability to care for patients substantially and is something they will appreciate. As always, happy patients mean a happy practice, with more positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations constantly attracting new patients. Even if you’re not looking to grow right now, creating a waiting list or simply boosting your local reputation can only be good for business.
Job diversity
However you decide to use your mobile dental units, your patients and your business are not the only beneficiaries. There may be members of your team who would seize the opportunity to take their skills on the road and challenge themselves by working in new environments. If some colleagues are already working with local schools and organisations to deliver oral health education, they may be very happy to extend their work in the community. It provides them with added job diversity and experience, as well as the satisfaction of helping more patients.
Quality back up
The quality of the mobile and portable dental units is key to making all of the above a reality. Furthermore, the solutions could even offer a back-up for the equipment you have in-surgery, providing an immediate solution in the event of a breakdown or technical issue with minimal service disruption. In terms of quality, these industry-leading units are comparable to in-surgery alternatives and, in some cases, may even exceed their performance.
Solutions like the BPR Swiss mobile and portable dental units, available through J&S Davis, are ideal. The comprehensive range of equipment means you can find a solution that meets all your needs and the needs of your patients. The innovative plug-and-play functionality means only an ordinary plug socket is required – no need for outside air or a water supply – for a quick set-up and ultimate ease of use. In addition, all the units are designed to optimise cleaning and disinfection for easy compliance and complete peace of mind.
That’s why…
As you can see, there are various ways to benefit from mobile dental units, including expanding and enhancing the dental care you offer, boosting income and encouraging job satisfaction among staff. If you’re looking for a new opportunity for your business and for your local community, consider investing in quality mobile units.
For more information on the industry-leading products available from J&S Davis, visit www.js-davis.co.uk, call 01438 747 344 or email jsdsales@js-davis.co.uk
Author: Steve Brown Director of Sales and Marketing J&S Davis Ltd
[i] CQC. Smiling matters: oral health care in care homes. June 2019. https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/major-report/smiling-matters-oral-health-care-care-homes [Accessed June 2020]
