Tech Talk: Practice Advancement

We are most certainly in the technological age and it seems to be moving at lightning speed. How do we keep up?! The dilemma many of us face in our practices is deciding which technology is worth purchasing and will yield the best return on investment (ROI).

We want to keep up with technology to ensure we are providing the best quality care and treatment options for our patients. Moreover, the implementation of technology in our practices (if used to its full potential) enables us to be more efficient and thus increases our potential for growth. These things set our practices apart and make us unique and "more cool" (because c'mon, we are in the information age and we are marketing to millennials). Technology, although it can get pricey, is an excellent way to achieve the growth and marketability that will keep our staff and patients engaged. 

A simple example would be the smart watch. You certainly don't need a smart watch and if you get it just to check the time then you would be missing out on it's many capabilities. A smart watch integrates apps, monitors heart rate, doubles as a fitness tracker, reminds you when you need to stand or breathe, sends/receives messages and phone calls, serves as your personal assistant with voice command and can even be integrated in your dental practice for efficiency.

Liken the smart watch to any other piece of technology you get for your practice. You have to explore it's many capabilities to reap the benefits that it can afford you.

As providers we can incorporate different forms of technology into our practices to stimulate growth. Several are listed below:

 Intraoral Scanners 

Cone Beam CT

3D Printing

Aligner Therapy

In the end, it's up to you to explore the different options to see what would be most beneficial to your practice.  There are many things to take into consideration when contemplating the purchase of new equipment. No matter where your practice is located, the demographics, or even office culture, technology can be used as a means to improve quality of care, efficiency and to increase patient acceptance.