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With more training, you’ll be a practice that offers the highest standard of comprehensive care

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  Posted by: Dental Design      15th January 2022

Have you have noticed some of your regulars dropping off, or more treatment plans remaining incomplete? Your practice should have protocols in place to gather patient feedback, including from new leads who attend a consultation but decide not to proceed. Some practices even incentivise it, as part of their marketing strategy. Maybe it was a question of cost, or more convenient appointment times offered elsewhere. There are multiple reasons why patients don’t go ahead, and their comments will help you develop knowledge about the basis for treatment decisions.

One study into patients’ experiences of dental care found the cohort cherished, above all, “a supportive and caring dentist, and a dedicated dental team” and being viewed as an individual.[i] When dentistry is patient-focussed, people feel well looked after and that there is a genuine commitment from the practice to improve and protect their health and general wellbeing.

Quality care is appropriate care. Many practices have found skill mix to be an effective way to manage workflows, with different bits of dentistry delivered by the appropriate member of the team who is qualified to do so. Dental hygienists and dental therapists can deliver preventive-maintenance consultations, for example, that allow them to really get to know the patient, and build good relationships that support loyalty and treatment acceptance. Plenty of practices now have a treatment-coordinator, to guide people through their options, and establish a liaison, or bridge between the individual and the clinical team.

For dentists, this gives them more time and freedom to focus on complex procedures and challenging problems. As a dentist, you might be seeing issues that you are unable to treat, because you have not currently got the skills and knowledge to do so, so are having to refer these people out instead. Now could be the perfect time to address this, and take on more training. When you can do more, this will enable you to create a brilliant, talented dental team that works as one to take care of every patient comprehensively – there won’t be anything you can’t do to help them! 

Training in dental implantology would be an excellent path to take. More patients are desiring dental implants, as they look and function like natural teeth and are, with correct maintenance, a predictable treatment and enduring long-term option. After completing quality training, you will be able to treat implant patients in your own practice and the benefits will be many – and lasting.

Firstly, your long-termers can say “yes” to dental implants with a team whom they trust implicitly and are comfortable with; they will feel confident that they are in the safest possible hands. Second, adding dental implants to your service list will reinvigorate your team who will need to learn about the implant workflow and how to support patients pre- and post-treatment. When your practice offers dental implants, everyone will have their part to play in helping patients to keep their results stable, and maintain a perfect balance of function and aesthetics for many years to come.

Third, adding this valuable new revenue stream will be good for business. Forth, training to be an implant dentist will challenge and inspire you professionally and personally, enabling you to take your career to new heights – and this will just be the start, too. Also, with the help of a mentor, you can keep developing the skills to tackle more complex situations to solutions that restore all patients to oral health – including those who thought the only option left for them was an extraction.

For accredited postgraduate training in implant dentistry, The One to One Implant Education’s Postgraduate Diploma in Implant Dentistry is the ideal choice for dentists who want to do more for their practice, patients and boost their career. Overseen by leading clinicians and lecturers, the course combines key areas to make you a successful implant dentist including treatment planning, placement, soft tissue management, the laboratory/clinician interface, guided bone regeneration, full arch implant restoration and peri-implantitis. With a substantial portion of the teaching time is dedicated to live surgery, The One to One Implant Education’s programmes have a tiered peer mentor system, with every delegate receiving a tutor who has also completed the course. This mentor will continue to guide your long after your training has completed.

Truly patient-focussed dentistry is provided by a practice team that delivers comprehensive quality care, no matter what the issue. Patients who have everything covered, by a practice able to support each element of their oral health, will have no need to go anywhere else and will always give good feedback. When you invest in extra training, to offer a full range of services, this will support your ongoing success and future growth.

Dr Fazeela Khan-Osborne is the founding clinician of the FACE dental implant multi-disciplinary team for the One To One Dental Clinic based on Harley Street, London. She has always had a passion and special interest in implant dentistry, particularly in surgical and restorative full arch rehabilitation of the maxilla. She has been involved in developing treatment modalities for peri-implantitis within clinical practice.

Dr Khan-Osborne is also the Founding Course Lead for the One To One Education Programme, now in its 20thyear. As a former Lead Tutor on the Diploma in Implant Dentistry course at the Royal College of Surgeons (England), she lectures worldwide on implant dentistry and is an active full member of the Association of Dental Implantology, the British Academy of Aesthetic Dentistry and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists.

 

To reserve your place or to find out more, please visit
https://121implanteducation.co.uk or call 020 7486 0000

 

[i] Sbaraini A, Carter SM, Evans RW, Blinkhorn A. Experiences of dental care: what do patients value? BMC Health Serv Res. 2012 Jun 24; 12:177. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-12-177. PMID: 22726888; PMCID: PMC3407476.


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