Becoming a modern, multidisciplinary GDP
Featured Products Promotional FeaturesPosted by: Dental Design 28th June 2021
With the dental industry’s ever-shifting landscape, we know that great dentistry requires continual learning – whether it be refreshing what you learned at the beginning of your training journey, or developing a new skill. A multidisciplinary approach to dentistry, always within the boundaries of personal competencies and confidence, carries a number of advantages for you, your patients, and your practice.
As an example, the number of adults seeking orthodontic treatment in the UK is continuing to rise[i], and so it makes for a smart move for GDPs to meet this growing demand and enhance their technical skills accordingly.
As such, if you are a GDP thinking of offering restorative and orthodontic treatment in your practice, there are several benefits to branching out and investing in a broader skillset to become a more versatile clinician for the modern age.
Benefiting you: a bigger picture
Developing your clinical expertise can be highly rewarding for the ambitious GDP. With care taken to invest in high-quality training and expert support, GDPs can deliver successful orthodontic treatment in simple to moderate cases to help patients achieve their desired result, while eliminating a sometimes-lengthy referral process.
A broader perspective on modern treatment options will also help provide GDPs with several procedures to choose from when recommending suitable options to patients. It can also give them confidence to select the best solution for optimal results.
It’s also worth highlighting that being able to deliver orthodontics to patients helps to diversify a GDP’s daily routine – no doubt bringing greater job satisfaction and reinforcing a passion for the profession.
Benefiting your patients: quality care
Providing patients with the outcomes that they want is what dental professionals ultimately strive for. GDPs being able to carry out orthodontic treatment themselves is a win for both them and their patients.
Continuity of care can be a big contributor to overall patient satisfaction. By having the same clinician throughout the treatment process and beyond can help build on the all-important patient-practitioner relationship and be hugely comforting for the patient.
Having a well-rounded knowledge of orthodontics also frequently means the modern GDP can offer a less invasive alternative to restorative solutions like full-prep veneers – enabling the maximum preservation of natural tooth structure, while still achieving the aesthetic transformation that patients seek.
It is, of course, always important for GDPs to identify those cases beyond their scope and refer patients to an appropriate specialist for safe, comprehensive treatment wherever necessary to maintain the highest levels of patient care.
Benefiting your practice: growth
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the percentage of UK adults seeking orthodontic treatment is increasing, and so with the right training and support, this is something that GDPs can capitalise on to grow their practices.
When thinking about expanding your capabilities, it is advisable to take a look at the dental industry through a wide lens and consider the treatments that are popular and profitable, both now and in the years ahead. It is also essential to take a step back and examine the individual competencies of you and your team, the facilities at your practice and your patient demographic – will providing orthodontic treatments, for example, be a good, profitable fit for your practice?
It should be noted that short-term financial success should not be the main driving force behind the business, and delivering successful, ethical patient treatment should remain the top priority.
Training to be the full package
So, where do you go for comprehensive training that provides the safe and effective development of your skills? IAS Academy is offering a new training course for GDPs looking to establish and advance their skills in orthodontics and restorative dentistry. The Complete GDP teaches dentists how to examine, diagnose, and treat every patient over three comprehensive two-day modules.
These courses provide the framework to ensure each patient case, whether simple or complex, is treated appropriately and ethically to achieve biologically stable, functional, and aesthetically pleasing results. The training is primarily delivered with a hands-on approach which helps to solidify the skills taught on a wide range of restorative and orthodontic concepts.
For more information on upcoming IAS Academy training courses, please visit www.iasortho.com or call 01932 336470 (Press 1)
Author: Dr Tif Qureshi founder and a clinical director of IAS Academy, qualified from Kings College London in 1992. He is a Past President of the British Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, an International faculty that provides mentored education for general dentists on a pathway from appropriate simple to comprehensive orthodontics.
[i] New British Orthodontic Society survey reveals the number of adults seeking orthodontic treatment in the UK remains high. British Orthodontic Society. Available at: https://www.bos.org.uk/News-and-Events/News [Last accessed 19.04.2021]
