Dental marketing can feel like taking a million shots in the dark. Even with the best marketing plan, you can’t have an effective strategy until you know what’s working.

If you’re unsure about your marketing strategy, explore Dental Intelligence’s dental marketing tools to help maximize your efforts.

Tracking the results of your dental marketing strategy may feel complex at first. How do you measure its effectiveness? Where should you expect to see growth? Here are seven strategies to help you track the impact of your marketing efforts.

Seven Strategies To Track the Impact of Your Dental Marketing

There are various ways to track the impact of your dental marketing strategy. Using multiple avenues to track the progress of your dental practice is essential. Knowing what needs improvement is the only way to solidify an effective marketing plan.

1. Why Are Your New Patients There?

Most practices will track how many new patients they have. However, some forget to track why they’re getting new patients. 

You and your staff should ask new patients what drew them to your practice. Did you come up in their Google search? Did they see a local ad? Did they find you through social media?

Collecting and evaluating these answers is the best way to determine what marketing strategies draw in the most new patients.

2. Why Are Your Patients Calling?

Most new patients will have their first interaction with your practice on the phone. This initial phone call is crucial and will often be a determining factor in their decision to return. You can also use tracking tools to determine which keywords or Google ads triggered their phone call.

Similarly, some patients may choose to contact your practice through email. Track the same information for emails if you receive questions or requests via email. Email marketing can be an extremely effective tool. 

If most of your patients use email as a mode of communication, consider leaning into your email marketing strategies. 

3. How Is Your Website Performing?

When assessing your website’s metrics, pay attention to: 

• Website visits
• Page views
• Load time
• Calls to action

These metrics are the foundation of your digital marketing strategy. Knowing how many website visits and page views your site gets will tell you if your content is drawing people in. 

The load time refers to how long it takes for your website to load. This should be 2.4 seconds or less; otherwise, potential patients may switch to another site. 

Calls to action like “schedule an appointment” and “call now” increase patient conversion by a significant percentage. Ensure your calls to action are easy to read and follow.

4. Is Your SEO Working?

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a strategy to elevate your online presence. Using certain keywords in your content can increase your website’s visibility in search results. For example, if a potential patient searches “teeth whitening near me,” SEO will boost your website to be one of the first results.

To see whether your SEO is effective, evaluate your:

• Organic traffic
• Visibility on search engine pages
• Conversion rates

5. Are You Using GMB?

Google My Business, or GMB, is another tool to track your website’s performance, specifically through Google search. This tool provides insights into how often patients view your pages and click links. With GMB, you can evaluate:

• Average costs per click
• Quality scores
• Click-through rate (CTR)

You can also track their performance through Google My Business when you use Google Ads.

6. What Is Your Monthly Revenue? 

Your monthly revenue indicates your practice’s growth or lack thereof. Looking for steady increases in revenue month over month is a great way to determine whether your marketing strategy is working. 

Keeping careful monthly revenue records will also come in handy for other purposes, like filing taxes or selling your practice.

7. What Does Your Appointment Book Look Like?

Another simple way to evaluate your practice’s growth is by looking at your appointment book.

Is there a clear shift in the number of appointments booked after you implemented a marketing strategy? Do you have appointments booked weeks in advance? These are indicators that your marketing strategy is successful. 

On the other hand, if you have a lot of open appointment slots, you may want to rethink your dental marketing ideas. 

Transform Your Digital Marketing With Dental Intelligence

If you evaluate your dental marketing strategy and find that it’s not quite working, Dental Intelligence can help. With analytical and engagement software, Dental Intelligence will help you find and track strategies to grow your practice through email campaigns, Instagram marketing for dentists, and more.

Get started by scheduling a demo today.

Dental practices send claims to dental insurance companies every day. However, there are often instances when an insurance company denies a claim. So, why was a dental claim denied, and can you prevent denials from happening as often in your office?

When your office needs to process insurance claims, Dental Intelligence Insurance has you covered from eligibility verification to sending in the claim to the ERA. Dental Intelligence Payments also offers easy processing for patient co-payments. Learn more about insurance claims and how patients may face denials because of clerical or procedural errors in your office.

Reasons Dental Insurance Companies May Deny a Claim

Insurance claims make up a large portion of administrative procedures at dental practices nationwide. However, dental insurance companies often deny insurance claims for minor missteps in their individual claims processes. But what are the most common reasons for a dental claim denial?

Outdated or Incorrect Insurance Claim Forms

Insurance companies occasionally update their forms and the required information to submit claims. If you send the claim form you have on file without the updated documentation, the dental insurance company will likely deny it.

If the insurance company denies a claim for lacking the proper forms, it will take longer to receive the denial and resubmit the claim with the correct forms than to contact the insurance company and verify you’re using the correct forms before submitting the claim. You can also verify insurance coverage while inquiring about the forms.

Failure To Verify Insurance Coverage

One of the top reasons for denial is failure to verify insurance coverage. You must ensure that a patient carries a certain policy and that their policy covers the scheduled procedures. To verify insurance coverage, confirm that your office’s information for the patient matches the information the insurance company has on file for their policyholder.

This includes not only that your patient has a certain coverage plan but also that your office has the correct patient address, contact information, date of birth, and spelling of their name. Even one error in this regard could lead to delays or a denial of the claim.

Failing To Get Pre-Authorization

Pre-authorization is essential for all dental procedures, even if a patient’s dental plan explicitly covers them. Without pre-authorization, dental insurance companies may deny a claim as an “unauthorized procedure.”

Seeking reimbursement for unauthorized procedures can easily become a hassle for your billing department. Ensure your office administration is securing pre-authorization for every procedure. Filing an appeal for a denial without it could lead to a lengthy claim process.

Missing Claim Filing Deadlines

Most dental insurance companies have different deadlines for submitting claims with the appropriate forms and documentation. Busy offices can easily miss a deadline if they manage claim filing in-house. Using a third-party billing system to manage claim deadlines and forms can help even the busiest dental practice file all their claim forms on time and with the appropriate supporting documents.

Certain Procedures Not Covered by Dental Insurance Policy

While verifying insurance coverage for your patient, you should also confirm that their policy covers all necessary restorative dental work. For example, many policies have a “missing tooth clause” where, if a patient arrives at your office with a missing tooth, the insurer can deny a claim for replacement because the tooth may have been missing before their coverage became effective.

Many dental policies also do not cover cosmetic dentistry, such as teeth whitening, veneers, or fixing teeth gaps for reasons other than injury or illness. However, many dental practices offer dental financing plans to help patients achieve their best smiles without insurance approval.

Other Limitations of Dental Insurance Companies and Policies

Some dental insurance companies may try to define an essential restorative dental procedure as cosmetic to keep from having to offer coverage for the procedure. Patients who lose teeth in an accident or because of weakened bone structure in their jaw from cancer treatment should qualify for restorative dentistry procedures, including implants, crowns, veneers, and orthodontics.

Most policies don’t cover cosmetic procedures for aesthetic purposes. Dental insurance likely won't cover these procedures even if a patient could benefit from a more confident smile for their mental or emotional well-being.

Insurance Claims Solutions for Dental Practices

Is one of your patients dealing with an insurance claim denial? Consider whether one of the reasons above contributed to the insurance company denying their claim. Dental Intelligence Insurance can help you with your claims processing needs. Contact us today to schedule a demo for your dental practice.

Your success as a dentist depends on building trusting relationships with patients. People will only opt for your services, keep coming to your clinic, and recommend you to others if they see you as a capable, trustworthy dental care provider.

Building credibility for dental professionals takes time and effort, especially if your practice is new and faces stiff competition. The following tips will help you establish a solid reputation as a dentist.

1. Be Transparent

To gain credibility, you must be credible. Build your practice upon the flagship values of honesty, integrity, and open communication. Give patients a full, clear picture of their dental care options and avoid unsubstantiated statements. 

Your credentials, expertise, fee system, referral system, available services, expected outcomes, and any other relevant aspect of your work as a dentist should be open to patient inquiries. Always be ready to answer patients’ questions and help them establish realistic expectations about dental procedures. 

Also, ensure your practice complies with all regulatory guidelines, including HIPAA, patient safety, biohazard management, cybersecurity, and staff training. Few things can destroy a reputation quicker than a liability lawsuit. 

2. Invest in the Setting

When patients walk into your clinic for the first time, you only have a few seconds to make a positive first impression. Invest in making your waiting room pleasant and inviting with a flattering color scheme, good lighting, and comfortable furniture. You might choose to work with a professional interior decorator for a harmonious, flattering look. Of course, your reception area should always be clean and tidy.

Above all, ensure you have friendly staff members who welcome each patient with a smile and do all they can to create a relaxing atmosphere while the patient waits for their appointment. 

3. Educate, Don’t Sell

Building credibility comes naturally when the patient is your focal point. Instead of starting with offering the solution you believe to be the best, concentrate on the patient’s condition, goals, limitations, priorities, and budget. 

Communicate with your patients on an eye-to-eye level and empower them by giving them information and choices. “This is your condition, these are your treatment options, and these are the potential outcomes. This is what I would recommend, but you get to decide how we proceed.” Patients will trust you more when they see you as a consultant rather than a salesman. 

4. Create the Best Possible Patient Experience

Many people who come into your dental office will be apprehensive and possibly anxious, often because of past bad experiences. Empathy, sensitivity, and extra attention to patients’ well-being will help you build a positive reputation.

Creating the best possible experience for dental patients includes efficient scheduling, explaining all procedures to reduce anxiety, keeping the patient comfortable throughout the treatment, and, if necessary, touching base with them after the appointment. You want each patient to be able to say, “Wow, this dental team did everything to make my experience as pleasant and stress-free as possible.”

5. Let Some Patients Go

This advice may seem counterintuitive, especially when you’re working hard to establish a patient base. However, not every patient will be a good fit for your dental practice.

Some patients will be interested in procedures you don’t provide, in which case your best bet would be to recommend another dental practice you trust. Others will keep breaking appointments, make unreasonable demands, and drain your time and energy. It’s better to focus on patients who are committed and easygoing. 

6. Keep Track of Your Reviews

You need a solid body of authentic, positive reviews to establish credibility with local patients. Word-of-mouth referrals may account for a large share of your new patients, but people will also read the reviews on your website and Google My Business page, especially when they’re about to visit your clinic for the first time.

Gaining and keeping track of your online reviews is easier with Dental Intelligence. Moreover, our convenient review management system makes negative reviews less likely. If negative feedback does crop up, be sure to address any valid concerns quickly and openly. You may try contacting the reviewer in private to see whether you can do anything to rectify their impression and prompt them to adjust their rating of your clinic. 

Build Trust and Foster Your Reputation With Dental Intelligence

Efficient tools by Dental Intelligence can help you manage customer review responses, earn trust, and build credibility as a dentist. Join the 9000+ dental practices already using Dental Intelligence to create a better patient experience and foster a stellar local reputation. Request a free demo today.

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Being a dentist practice owner means you’re constantly juggling a lot financially. Between your business’ finances and your personal bank accounts, how do you know you’re making the right decisions? 

Mistakes are part of life, even financial mistakes. The best way to avoid making them in the future is by becoming aware of them.

One way to make your dental practice's finances simpler is transforming your dental payments through Dental Intelligence Payments. This system makes payments easier for you and your patients.

If you’re dissatisfied with your financial position, it might be time to look at how you’re managing your finances. Below are the seven most common financial mistakes among dentists.

1) Not Evaluating Your Finances Regularly 

It’s easy to put off managing your finances when your day-to-day tasks are so time-consuming. However, this is a common financial mistake. Keep an eye on your books at all times — forgetting or failing to assess your dental practice’s finances leads to confusion, disorganization, and even theft. 

Even if you put an employee in charge of your practice’s finances, you should check in frequently to ensure that everything is going smoothly. 

By evaluating your finances regularly, you will catch any issues early on. 

2) Misunderstanding Your Loans

Many dentists have debt, such as student loans or business loans. While the practical thing to do might seem like refinancing them to avoid paying interest rates, this isn't always the best tactic.

Income-driven repayment plans are often the better option. You will have a lower payment every month, and you’re likely to have more of your loans forgiven. This option is sometimes better for your credit score, too.

Everyone’s financial situation is unique. To determine if you are better off refinancing your loans or using a repayment plan, consult a financial advisor. 

3) Pushing Off Estate Planning

Estate planning can feel morbid at first. No one wants to think about dying, but you will someday. What will happen to your assets, including your dental practice, when you're gone?

You have the power to leave your loved ones financially secure if you take the right estate planning measures. If you avoid estate planning, your family and loved ones may never know your wishes. Take control of your legacy by creating an estate plan.

4) Keeping All Assets Liquid

Not all of your assets should be liquid. Having some funds put away for emergency savings is smart. However, if all your money sits in a savings account, you miss out on opportunities. 

To build your wealth, take a portion of your assets and invest in the stock market, real estate, or another illiquid investment vehicle. Your money will grow faster that way.

Investing in the stock market means you’re investing in yourself, too. You can use the money you make back to renovate or improve your practice.

5) Failing to Take Out Insurance Policies and Fraud Prevention Measures

Practicing dentistry isn’t without risks. Insuring yourself and your practice can save you a lot of money and time in the future. Remember to be thorough when you’re going over your insurance policies or making a claim. Insurance fraud is common, whether intentional or accidental, especially for dentists who own their own practice or have business partners.

For example, a lot of dentists wait to purchase disability insurance. You never know when you could fall sick or injured. Having disability insurance, regardless of the stage of your career, is an important preventative measure.

6) Not Taking Advantage of Tax Credits

When you file your tax return, your goal may be to get it over with as soon as possible. No one enjoys filing taxes, but that doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from it. Don’t forget about the following tax credits:

• The Federal Research and Development Credit (R&D) for advancing products or practicing innovation
• Depreciation claims on new equipment your dental practice purchased
• Deductions for charitable expenses, including volunteer work like lodging and sponsoring

7) Not Planning for the Future

The day-to-day operations of your dental practice may prevent you from looking forward. However, it’s vital for you and your employees that you consider your future. Having retirement accounts for you and your staff should be a priority. 

Avoid Financial Mistakes with Dental Intelligence

If you’re dissatisfied with your dental practice’s financial state, you have options. Offering flexible payment options, avoiding common financial mistakes, and using tools from Dental Intelligence can alleviate that headache you get when you look at your books.

Dental Intelligence offers software to improve efficiency and quality in dental practices. To learn more, schedule a demo today.

Dentists face many challenges, and with each passing year, they don’t get any easier. Escalating supply prices, staffing woes, and non-compliant patients can make running a dental practice seem like a juggling act. How can you balance these challenges to make sure your practice runs smoothly and turns a profit?

Let's explore the five toughest challenges in dentistry today and how to combat them at your practice. You’ll also learn how software solutions from Dental Intelligence can make it easier to meet your dental office goals.

Soaring Costs for Your Practice

One of the challenges dentists face is a challenge every business faces: Operational costs. If your rent and supply costs have gone up this year, you’re far from alone. Inflation can send prices skyrocketing for nearly every good and service imaginable, and that includes dental equipment and technology too.

You can’t directly control these costs, and that can feel frustrating. Here’s how to manage:

• Shop around for new suppliers to make sure you’re getting the best deal.
• Talk to your landlord and try to negotiate your rent. You might be able to lower your rent costs in exchange for signing a longer lease.
• Consider practice management software, such as Dental Intelligence, which can help you automate tasks and cut down on employee expenses.

Staying Up-to-Date With New Technology

Today’s technology isn’t the same as it was when you were in dental school. If you’ve been in business for a while, it can be tempting to ignore new tech and keep on doing things the way you always have. Burying your head in the sand can be a big mistake, though.

A savvy dentist learns how to make technology work for them. If you’re out of the loop, you can catch up by attending conventions and watching tech-focused webinars (many of which are free).

Competing With Corporate Dental Chains

If you run a small practice, going up against corporate dental chains can feel impossible. These giants have deep pockets that allow them to invest in marketing channels that smaller practices can’t afford.

One way to circumvent this is to lean into the small practice vibe. Bill yourself as the friendly neighborhood dentist who truly cares about and gets to know patients. You’ll stand out over the corporate chains.

You could also consider joining or forming a network with other small practices to share resources and reach new audiences.

Staffing Challenges

Good help is hard to find, and that’s definitely true for dental practices. If you’re losing staff or getting complaints about your employees, patients are likely to bail for the competition no matter how good your services are.

Tackling staffing issues needs a multi-pronged approach. Happy dental staff are likely to stay with your practice, so make sure that they have a good work-life balance. Offer incentives to attract new employees, such as paid time off, a stipend for continuing education, health benefits, and a 401(k) plan.

To nip complaints in the bud, you’ll need to invest in training. Set aside some time to train staff on good communication, such as what to say when customers call or walk through the door.

Grappling With Patients’ Dental Anxiety

Dental anxiety is one of the biggest challenges in dentistry. It’s far more common than you might think and can be a major problem for your practice. According to a study published in the Journal of Dental Hygiene, about 10% to 20% of people worldwide struggle with dental anxiety to some degree¹.

Anxious patients may be too fearful to visit your practice even as the COVID-19 pandemic winds down. And even if they do come in, they might delay their next appointment once they find out they need potentially painful dental work.

To ease fears, make sure your website uses supportive and friendly language. Explain that your staff will make patients’ visits as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

You may want to suggest sedation for fearful patients. Some practices also let patients watch TV in the chair or give them virtual reality headsets with soothing imagery to wear while the dentist works.

Streamline Practice Management With Dental Intelligence

Some challenges in dentistry can seem insurmountable, but Dental Intelligence’s software solutions can make those challenges a little easier to bear. Our software offers online appointment scheduling, patient financing, and communication tools that can streamline the way your practice works.

Schedule a demo of Dental Intelligence today to learn more about our digital solutions for dental practices today.

Resources

¹ Journal of Dental Hygiene

Your staff are the heart and soul of your dental office. They greet patients, remind them about upcoming appointments, answer questions, and so much more.

You value your dental team, but how can you make sure they know it? Learn how to improve dental staff morale and meet your dental office goals with tips from Dental Intelligence.

Hire a Team That Works Well Together

Have you ever hired an employee that just didn’t gel with the rest of the team? One bad hire is all it takes to poison the well, and it’s hard to recover from the aftermath. Gossip, petty fights, and backstabbing should have no place in a professional dental office.

To avoid this situation, it’s important to hire people who work seamlessly as a unit. Your employees don’t all have to be friends, but they do need to work together and support each other when the going gets tough.

Don’t simply hire the first person who walks through your doors. When a candidate comes for an interview, take note of their energy and personality. Do they smile and seem friendly? Do they seem interested in what you have to say?

A working interview is a great way to evaluate candidates and see how they interact with the rest of your team. Just be sure to pay candidates for this (the law requires this in some places).

Train Employees the Right Way

Without proper training, you’re setting employees up to fail, which can sink dental team morale. When mistakes pile up because employees don’t know how to handle them, they may begin to think that they can’t do anything right and develop a negative attitude.

Avoid this by setting aside time for a formal training period. Make sure all employees know what to say when patients call, and explain who employees should go to if they have questions or problems.

Stay Accessible With an Open-Door Policy

Many dentists wall themselves off from their staff, often because they think they’re just too busy to engage with employees. But ignoring your dental care staff can put a big damper on morale, so ensure that your employees know they can always come to you with any questions or concerns.

It’s also smart to schedule brief periodic meetings with each employee to ask them how they’re doing. These meetings can reveal problems and grievances that you otherwise would have missed.

Promote a Good Work-Life Balance

Your staff have lives outside of work, and it’s important to support that. Try to be flexible with scheduling and accommodate requests for time off, within reason. If an employee needs time off for school, a wedding, or a dental appointment to take care of their own oral health, say “yes” as often as you can.

Remember Important Events

Do you know the birthdays of your dental team? If not, find out! Telling employees “Happy birthday” and giving them a card or small gift is one of the best ways to show that you care.

It’s also a good idea to keep track of workplace anniversaries. You could say something like, “Thanks for sticking with us for another year. I really appreciate all you do for our practice.”

Offer Rewards for Exceptional Work

When an employee goes above and beyond, reward them with a bonus, gift card, or extra paid time off. Recognizing great work helps your employees feel valued. It encourages the rest of your team to do their best, too.

Delegate Responsibilities

Doing the same thing at work every day can be boring, and that can make morale drop like a rock. Consider giving employees new and important responsibilities to spice things up. Your staff will feel like you trust them and be more motivated as well. Just be sure not to hand out extra responsibilities to employees who already have too much on their plates.

Host Team-Building Events

Team-building events are a fun way to boost morale and help employees get to know each other better. Just order a few pizzas, play some games, and watch staff morale skyrocket.

You could also encourage your team to participate in volunteer work. Corporate volunteering has been shown to boost morale and help bring team members closer together.

Support Your Practice With Dental Intelligence

If you’re looking for ways to make your staff feel valued, check out our practice management software solutions. Features like online scheduling and staff communication tools can increase the efficiency of your practice and make life easier for your dental team.

To learn more, schedule a Dental Intelligence demo today.

Growth is a goal that all dental practices share. But if every office tries to grow, how do you stand out?

If you’re dissatisfied with your practice’s growth in recent years or struggling to keep up with competitors, it’s worth rethinking your marketing strategy. If you want to stand out, you have to practice unique marketing strategies. 

Exploring Dental Intelligence’s dental marketing tools is one way to step up your game.

Unique Strategies To Use When Marketing a Dental Office

While there is a wide range of strategies for marketing a dental office, most practices use the same few approaches. Dental practices forget marketing strategies, and their growth suffers for it. Some unique strategies to use when marketing a dental office include: 

• Winning awards
• Marketing with awards
• Content marketing

Winning Dental Awards

Dental patients seek out dental practices they know they can trust. Traditional marketing materials like brochures and flyers help spread the word about your practice but don’t guarantee quality. 

Awards offer an objective point of view that will build patients’ confidence in your practice. You can apply for awards by searching online for those available in your city or country. You can then nominate yourself, providing evidence of why your practice should win.

Applying to awards frequently increases your chance of winning. Pay close attention to all contest details and submission requirements. 

Marketing With Awards

If you do win an award, congratulations! You have new material for your marketing strategy. Winning any award is affirming and makes your staff feel good, but its real value is its role in your marketing. 

Awards have a significant impact on your dental practice’s reputation. They can only do this if you use them to their fullest extent. 

Advertise Your Win in the Local News

When you win an award, the first thing to do is get the news out there. News outlets only publish very recent information, so submit your press release as soon as possible.

This press release can be more effective than a traditional newspaper ad. It presents celebratory news and confirms your practice’s excellence from an objective standard. 

Announce Your Win on Digitally

Not everyone will read the local paper. You want to cover all your bases, including sharing your win on social media. Crafting unique posts for each platform to announce your win will increase engagement. 

You might consider adding a picture of your staff celebrating to provide a personal touch. You can also add a digital banner to your profile pictures to remind social media users of your practice’s accomplishments.

Your award should be visible on your website’s homepage. Anyone who visits your website will feel encouraged to schedule an appointment with your practice if they see you’ve recently won an award. 

Build Off Your Existing Marketing Plan

Making new marketing efforts doesn’t mean you must erase your existing strategies. If you have promotional materials like brochures, posters, and postcards, update them with your new award. 

Content Marketing 

Content marketing uses website and email marketing to promote your office. In this digital age, it’s essential to have a significant online presence to appeal to search engines. 

Make it Mobile

Many people will view your website through search results on their phones. You don’t want to lose a potential patient because your mobile site is difficult to navigate. 

Even if your website looks sleek and professional on a computer screen, it may appear disorganized on a phone. Make sure your website is mobile friendly.

Use Real Photos

While hiring a photographer to take pictures for your website and email marketing is more costly, the personal touch is worth it. Many dental practices use stock images for their website, which come off as generic and ineffective. 

You can then use the photos for purposes beyond the site. They may come in handy if you need physical marketing materials or ever decide to sell your practice.

Utilize Patient Reviews

Patient reviews can make or break a potential patient’s decision to take their business to your practice. Displaying positive reviews or testimonials from existing patients can strengthen the public’s confidence in your practice enough to boost growth. With Dental Intelligence Online Reviews you can easily ask patients to write a review.

Market Your Dental Practice With Dental Intelligence

When marketing a dental office, it can be difficult to gauge the effectiveness of certain strategies. Content marketing for dentists is important, but how do you know your methods are working? 

With Dental Intelligence’s analytics and engagement tools, you can track results accurately. To learn more about the opportunities for your dental practice with Dental Intelligence, schedule a demo today.

Is your dental practice swimming in patients, yet you’re struggling to turn a profit? The answer could lie in your practice’s overhead.

Dental office overhead can take a serious bite out of your bottom line. Managing costs for staff, products, equipment, and other expenses can seem like a juggling act, and it’s tough to know what to cut without compromising quality of care for patients.

The good news is that you don’t need to make huge sacrifices to slash your overhead. Below, find tips for lowering overhead costs and increasing revenue.

Compare Your Overhead Costs to Industry Benchmarks

Is your dental practice spending more than the industry average? It’s common for practices to shell out too much on products and services they don’t really need.

One of the best ways to know if you’re overspending is to compare your costs to industry benchmarks. First, make a chart with expense categories and write down all fixed and variable costs for your practice. Next, think about what you should ideally be spending on each cost as a percentage of your income.

To lower overhead costs, it’s best to spend about 6% of income on supplies, 5% on rent, 5% on equipment, and 10% on lab services. Those numbers are in line with industry averages.

Can you cut any of your expenses in those categories? It may be tough to slash utility costs, but you might be able to save money by switching to a different distributor for your supplies.

Understand the True Cost of Supplies

Think you only pay for supplies when you purchase them? Think again. Dental supplies can have hidden costs that do a serious number on your profits.

For instance, how much does it cost you to hold supplies in storage if they go unused? How much do you pay in shipping fees if you need to return something? Realizing these costs can help you manage your inventory more efficiently.

Don’t Always Go With the Cheapest Brands

House brands can seem like a good deal because they’re more affordable than name-brand supplies. However, some house brands are cheaply made, which means you could end up needing to replace them sooner than you think.

Name-brand supplies and equipment may be costlier up front, but these items will last far longer than many shoddily made house brands.

Consolidate Purchases From Distributors

A common mistake many practices make is buying supplies and equipment from several distributors. Doing this can seem smart because it lets you choose the distributors with the best prices. However, you could save even more by consolidating as many purchases as possible with one distributor.

You’ll find quite a few distributors that are willing to give discounts and go the extra mile for customers who do most of their business with them. Just be sure to check out other distributors every now and then so you know you’re getting the best rate.

Join a Buying Group

If you need to buy a lot of equipment or are thinking about opening more than one practice, you could benefit from the purchasing power of a buyer group or franchise group. These groups have a mix of vendors to choose from, and you’ll often see big savings by buying from them.

Put Systems in Place To Train Your Staff

Paying staff is one of the biggest expenses for nearly every dental practice. You can’t replace all of your staff with robots, but you can put systems in place to help your staff learn how to handle tasks more efficiently.

Many practices spend more than 30% of their income on staff, but with efficiency training, you could get your overhead down to 20% or even less. Here’s how:

• Write scripts for employees to follow when a potential customer calls your practice.
• Put your preferences in writing and ensure employees understand them.
• Set aside formal time for training so all employees know what you expect of them. If you’re not well versed in training workers, you may want to hire an outside consultant for this.

Learn More About Our Solutions for Dental Practices

Now that you’ve learned how to cut dental office overhead, we welcome you to check out practice performance solutions from Dental Intelligence. Our solutions are the ticket to profitable dental services, satisfied customers, and happy employees. Schedule a demo today.

As a dental professional, you know that getting patients to come in for a dental follow-up appointment can be a challenge. Patients have plenty of excuses for avoiding the dentist. Some worry about the cost, while others are afraid to come in for work, no matter how gentle you are.

Allowing patients to bury their heads in the sand and delay follow-up appointments only hurts them, though, and it doesn’t do your practice any favors, either. Learn how to increase dental production and boost follow-up appointments with these tips from Dental Intelligence.

Provide Stellar Patient Care and Customer Service

Fear is one of the main reasons patients avoid dental follow-up appointments. It’s a struggle to get fearful patients into your office in the first place, and once they know they need follow-up care, they may delay scheduling their next appointment.

To stop patients from bailing on your practice, you’ll need to provide a great patient experience from the moment they walk through the door. Give every patient a friendly greeting and let them know that you’re happy they came to you.

Take the time to listen to patients’ questions and concerns. If they admit they’re anxious, don’t dismiss their worries. Patients are more likely to return if they believe you understand and care about them.

Never Lecture Patients

Many patients avoid the dentist because they haven’t seen one in years. They worry that the dentist might scold them for their poor oral hygiene, and a lecture is the last thing any patient wants to deal with. This is a self-defeating cycle, though, and it’s one your practice can help break.

When a patient gets in the chair, resist the urge to lecture them no matter how tempting it may be. Instead of a lecture, give patients an actionable plan that can help them feel empowered over their oral health.

Offer Alternative Treatment Plans

When patients need a lot of dental work done, it’s easy for them to feel overwhelmed. Some may even be so anxious at the thought of it that they don’t come back to your practice at all.

You can help to assuage their fears by offering treatment plan options when possible. For instance, instead of pulling teeth and fitting dentures, you may want to recommend a dental implant as another option. Implants don’t cause bone damage like dentures and fixed bridgework might, which can be reassuring to patients.

Consider Investing in Digital Photography Technology

Does your practice use digital single lens reflex (DSLR) technology? If not, purchasing a DSLR camera can be a wise choice.

No matter how attentive patients seem or how well you explain things, some of what you say goes in one ear and out the other. But pictures, as they say, are worth a thousand words. Providing a highly detailed image of a patient’s mouth could help them understand their oral health situation and convince them to schedule a dental follow-up appointment.

Keep Your Schedule Open

If your office adheres to standard business hours, you could be missing out on patients with busy or unconventional schedules. Many patients don’t come in for follow-up care simply because they can’t find the time.

Consider offering extended hours at your practice for at least a few days out of the week. For example, instead of closing at 5 p.m., you might stay open until 7 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays. You could also open for a few hours on Saturdays to accommodate patients who can’t make it in during the week.

Train Staff on Follow-Up Communication

The best way to get patients to come in for follow-ups is to be proactive. Once a patient walks out the door, they’re unlikely to remember to call for a follow-up appointment without some prompting on your end.

To avoid problems, always schedule patients for their next appointment before they leave your office. Train staff to give each patient a detailed summary of necessary follow-up care and take care of appointment scheduling by making their next appointment before they leave or allowing them to schedule their own appointment online from home. Make sure staff have the correct email address or phone number for each patient so they can reach out with appointment reminders, too.

Check Out Our Practice Management Solutions for Dentists

Getting patients to stick to dental follow-up care can be challenging, but with our dental customer service solutions, it doesn’t have to be. To find out more about what Dental Intelligence can do for you, schedule a demo of our software today.

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High employee turnover rates result in more time and energy spent hiring and training new employees. It creates an unwelcoming work environment and could be a symptom of a larger problem.

Knowing how to improve employee retention can transform your dental practice. Another way to maintain employees is through proper dental staff training. Training is the time to set expectations early on.

Nine Ways To Improve Employee Retention

When employee retention is low, there may be several issues at play. 

So, how do you know how to improve employee retention if everyone has different needs? There are still basic ways to improve employee retention. 

1. Improve Your Benefits

A decent salary isn’t always enough. Look at the benefits you’re offering your employees and look for areas with room for improvement. 

Don’t stop at the basics of health insurance, paid holidays, and retirement plans. Your employees can go to most other employers and find the same thing. To improve employee retention, you need to offer something different. 

Consider more flexibility in hours or work-from-home opportunities. Flexible work shows an interest in your employees’ work-life balance while improving office morale.

2. Always Practice Clear Communication

You undoubtedly expect clear communication from your employees, so you must set the tone by modeling it. Setting a precedent will also help new employees adjust to your practice’s work culture.

Giving specific timelines, providing an employee handbook, and having regular meetings can also help improve office communication. Remain open to questions, as employees should feel comfortable coming to you if something isn’t clear. 

3. Establish a Sense of Community

Most employees spend at least 40 hours a week in your office. They are much more likely to enjoy this time if there is a sense of community and camaraderie among staff.

Holding team-building activities, encouraging collaboration, and setting conflict resolution protocols are all strategies for improving office culture.

4. Provide Opportunities for Growth and Education

Investing in your employees’ education shows you care about their growth and careers. Offering payment for continuing education through certifications or graduate programs is a great way to support growth. 

You may also provide in-office growth opportunities. Offer frequent feedback, training to learn new skills, and opportunities to take on new responsibilities.

5. Keep an Organized Office

No one wants to work in chaos. While you can’t control every problem that may arise in your dental practice, you can at least ensure your employees are in a clean, organized environment. A cluttered workspace causes unnecessary stress and confusion.

Express your expectations of office cleanliness to your housekeeping staff. Your employees and patients will appreciate the effort.

6. Hold Yourself Accountable

There’s nothing worse than a boss who believes they’re above the rules. Communicating your expectations for employees is important, but it’s also essential that you lead by example. 

If you expect your employees to be on time for meetings, ensure you’re also on time. Not only does this model behavior for your employees, but it also shows that you have respect for them.

7. Involve Your Team in Decision Making

Your employees want to have a say in your practice. Talking about your goals and vision as a team makes them much more attainable. Making clear action plans, utilizing time-management techniques, and outlining goals together are all great ways to increase efficiency and retain employees.

8. Give Individualized Attention

It’s easy for staff problems to fall through the cracks, especially if you have a large team. Checking in with each of your employees regularly will help you identify any issues and brainstorm solutions together.

This individualized attention will help you gauge whether your employees need additional support. Catching problems early means you’re less likely to lose employees over them. 

9. Recognize Efforts

Some employees will leave if they don’t feel valued. Prevent employees from feeling like this by recognizing when they accomplish something big or small. Constructive feedback helps, but so does praise. Recognition will boost employees’ confidence and morale. 

Improve Employee Retention With Dental Intelligence

A strong team makes a strong dental practice. Employee retention is vital in building your perfect team, even in times of crisis. The dental Employee Retention Credit is available to dental practices that kept employees on their payroll during the 2020 and 2021 pandemic. 

Now that you know how to improve employee retention, learn about how you can continue boosting your team’s efficiency with Dental Intelligence. Dental Intelligence has a variety of software available to take your dental practice to the next level. Schedule a demo today to get started.

The dental industry has existed for thousands of years and has seen numerous changes, especially in the last century. Evolving technology and research lead to innovation that produces new trends. Keeping up to date with dental industry trends is essential for every dental practice.

Digital trends like patient portals have made dental practices more efficient and communicative. Dental Intelligence offers the perfect patient portal for your office. But patient portals aren’t the only trend you should be aware of. 

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, new technologies, methods, and philosophies are shaping the dental industry. 

7 Emerging Dental Industry Trends In 2023

Keeping up with new dental industry trends is essential to improve patient care. Following these trends can help your practice grow.

1. Artificial Intelligence Trends

Artificial intelligence is all over 2023 headlines. AI technology is evolving at a fast pace, and numerous industries are finding it to be a useful tool, dentistry included. The biggest impact AI is making on dentistry right now is through AI-powered imaging tools. 

Pearl AI, for example, learns algorithms to recognize patterns in dental images. It can then detect early signs of cavities, allowing for earlier treatment and prevention of further damage. Similarly, KaVo DIAGNOdent is a non-invasive AI approach to detecting cavities early on. 

Orca Dental AI is a tool for orthodontists. It uses 3D imaging to predict how each patient’s teeth will move during treatment. This tool makes treatment plans more accurate and personal to each patient.

2. Alternative Therapy Approaches 

The dental industry is embracing alternative therapy approaches to replace traditional medicine in some circumstances. These therapies are often more affordable than traditional dental services.

Specifically, therapies for patient anxiety before treatments or procedures are proving useful for many practices. Music therapy and virtual reality (VR) therapy are the primary methods to combat patient anxiety in 2023.

3. 3D Printing Trends

3D printers have altered how dental practices create molds, aligners, and prosthetics for patients. With 3D printing, dentists can make these tools much easier and quicker than ever, increasing the efficiency of dental care.

3D aligners are particularly popular. Invisalign, a notable dental service, primarily uses 3D printers to make their aligners. All dental practices can use 3D printers to make more accurate, effective aligners for their patients. 

3D printing has also made prosthetic implants for dental crowns and bridges more affordable. Not only that, but they are more likely to last longer. 

Finally, 3D printers can produce surgical guides to ensure accuracy during dental procedures. They print a model of the patient’s jaw to better guide the dentist during the implant placement.

4. Increase in Implant Demand

More patients in the United States are choosing implants as a treatment plan. One of the reasons implants are becoming more popular is the evolution of bone regeneration. Some patients may have been unable to use implants because of a weakened jaw.

Bone regeneration, which uses a bone graft to strengthen patients’ jaws, has made implants possible for more patients. Understanding this upward trend will help you better meet patients’ needs.

5. The Use of Digital Impressions

Dentists make impressions of patients’ teeth and gums to diagnose issues and provide treatment. Previously, this has been an uncomfortable and long process for the patient. However, with digital impressions, you no longer have to worry about the mess.

Digital impressions develop quicker, are more accurate, and eliminate patient discomfort. Their precision makes it easier for dentists to identify gum disease, decay, and malocclusion. 

With a more accurate diagnosis comes more accurate treatment. Dental patients have access to more personalized treatment than ever before. 

6. Teledentistry

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more industries are finding that workers can perform their jobs remotely. 

Dentistry treatment often requires an in-person appointment, but an initial appointment can sometimes involve a quick conversation. A dentist and patient may use teledentistry for communication purposes. 

This is a more cost-effective, accessible appointment method. The American Dental Association finds that teledentistry is an increasingly effective tool.

7. Intraoral Cameras

Dentists are using intraoral cameras to better investigate patients’ oral health. These high-quality cameras create better images of patients’ teeth, which allows dental practices to take a more accurate approach to their treatment plans.

Keep Up With Industry Trends With Dental Intelligence

The dental industry will continue to evolve, introducing new trends as technology advances. Keeping up with dental industry trends is a must if you want to become a profitable dental practice. 

To learn more about how you can make your dental practice more efficient and effective with Dental Intelligence’s software, schedule a demo today.

The dental treatment coordinator is a crucial member of any dental practice staff. This role is responsible for communicating treatment plans with patients compassionately and effectively. 

The treatment coordinator is an active part of each patient’s experience, starting at their diagnosis and following through to payment. Dentistry is costly, and the treatment coordinator must communicate that with care.

Dental treatment plans and payment plans can be tricky to coordinate and keep track of for each patient. With Dental Intelligence’s software, your practice can simplify this process to benefit your patients and treatment coordinator.

Seven Qualities and Practices of a Dental Treatment Coordinator

Treatment coordinators need a specific skill set to be successful. You want to rely on your treatment coordinator to guide your patients through the treatment and payment process. 

When you hire a dental treatment coordinator for your dental practice, evaluate them for the qualities below.

1. Knowledge and Expertise

First and foremost, a treatment coordinator must have extensive experience in the dental industry. There is no other way to gain the practical knowledge they’ll need to fill this role. 

Your treatment coordinator must understand and communicate information regarding procedures, treatment plans, terminology, tools, insurance coverage, and benefits. 

A treatment coordinator who knows what they’re doing will inspire confidence in you and your patients.

2. Ability To Find the Best Location

When a coordinator explains treatment plans and prices to a patient, they must consider all factors. Their explanation isn’t just about how they say it, but where. If the patient is in a crowded environment when having this discussion, like a waiting room, they may feel overwhelmed or embarrassed. 

The right treatment coordinator will find a private location to discuss each patient’s payment and treatment plans. This ensures the patient feels comfortable and able to ask questions. The location should also have a computer screen available so the coordinator can utilize visual tools.

3. Suitable Personality

Treatment coordinators require a specific set of personality traits to be successful. They must be:

• Outgoing
• Energetic
• Empathetic

These traits make patients feel more comfortable when discussing their plans. A treatment coordinator should make each patient feel welcome while guiding them toward a commitment to treatment. 

Treatment coordinators must also value honesty. The American Dental Association describes veracity in its code of ethics as one’s duty to communicate truthfully. Patients want transparency from their dentists.

4. Goal-Driven Practices

Your treatment coordinator cannot feel comfortable with a lack of progress in your dental office. They must strive for growth. This quality keeps your coordinator focused and working hard. Your treatment coordinator should make regular goals, then work diligently to meet them.

For example, they may have a goal for yearly production or revenue. That goal should increase every year they work at your practice and be ambitious yet attainable. 

5. Consistent Communication Habits

Your treatment coordinator must communicate effectively with patients but also with you and other staff within the practice. Consistently communicating the status of goals, patients’ schedules, holds on accounts, and other vital information keeps a dental practice running.

When someone is missing information, it can keep them from effectively doing their job. The treatment coordinator is responsible for ensuring all relevant parties have information regarding patients’ treatment and payment plans.

6. Ability To Communicate the Need for Treatment

Without the right treatment coordinator, a patient may not understand the need for treatment. Some won’t see dental care as necessary and will push it off until their oral health suffers more damage.

It’s the treatment coordinator’s job to prevent this. They must communicate the urgent need for each patient’s treatment. Including pictures during a patient consultation can aid in emphasizing this need.

7. Dedication to Patient Care

All treatment coordinators must be dedicated to patient care. If their only priority is getting your patients to swipe their credit cards, patients will pick up on it. The best treatment coordinators will prioritize the well-being of the patient, then work with them to decide which payment options best suit them.

Simplify Treatment Coordination With Dental Intelligence 

Treatment coordinators have many responsibilities to juggle. The above qualities are a good start, but they don’t cover everything. Treatment coordinators also need dental case presentation skills, financial knowledge, and motivational practices. 

To simplify treatment coordination and other procedures in your dental practice, use Dental Intelligence’s innovative software. Schedule a demo today to see what the future of your dental practice could look like.

In an office environment, it can be easy to take on too many tasks yourself. Maybe it’s out of habit, or maybe you just want to be certain it’s done a particular way.

Regardless, we’re all human. If you try to do it all, you’ll burn out. You have a staff for a reason! They’ve all been through dental staff training and can complete tasks successfully if given the chance.

Without knowing how to delegate tasks effectively, a workplace can quickly become chaotic and difficult to work in. Productivity is sure to decrease in this kind of environment. 

Taking on too many tasks means no one can get the proper attention they need. If you feel this might be happening in your office, it’s time to consider delegating more effectively. 

Why Is Delegating Tasks Important?

Delegating is an important skill to have in a dental office. There are many things to do at any moment, and you need to know how to ensure their completion even when you aren’t taking them on yourself. 

Delegating effectively results in a happier work environment, more accountability for your staff, and better service for your patients. Delegation is a skill that leads to success. 

How to Delegate: 5 Steps

Learning to delegate can be difficult. To help you out, let's break down the delegation process into six phases. 

1. Pinpoint Your Goal

To start delegating, you need to first identify which tasks need delegating. Are there smaller tasks that members of your staff can take on? Is there anything that’s been particularly time-consuming, and you know you could spend it better elsewhere?

Make a list of these tasks. For each, you need to identify a clear goal. The goal must be both attainable and concrete. 

2. Choose a Team Member for the Task

Once you have a task in mind, you need to assign it to a member of your team. Take a look at your staff and consider who is capable of this task. Who has the training or could go through the training needed to complete this task? Is there anyone with extra time on their hands?

Choosing a staff member is a vital part of the delegation process. Choosing the wrong person could cause more chaos in the office. This choice should ease tension and stress in the office, not add to it.

3. Communicate Effectively With the Chosen Employee

Give your chosen employee the task, and use clear communication throughout this process, from the first time you present the task to completing it.

The employee needs to fully understand the desired outcome, quality expectations, and time commitment of this task. Patience is the key here — answer questions they have thoroughly. Keep an open mind to their suggestions and ideas.

You should also communicate what is going on with the rest of the team. Including which tasks you’ve delegated to others during team meetings or morning huddles is a productive method of accomplishing this and keeps everyone on the same page. 

4. Implement Checkpoints

Part of knowing how to delegate tasks effectively includes implementing checkpoints throughout the completion of the task. Giving a clear due date is important, but it’s equally essential to check in before that date. This provides room to make adjustments to the due date, answer questions, or clarify expectations along the way.

Checkpoints are the time for flexibility. Remain open to altering the task’s deadline or giving additional support to the staff member if needed. If you’ve delegated a long-term or more taxing task to a staff member, breaking it up into smaller parts with their own checkpoints may be beneficial.

5. Discuss Progress

The end of the task doesn’t mean the end of the delegation process. After the staff member finishes the task, it’s your responsibility to follow up.

Evaluate the progress and finished product, offer praise and feedback when necessary, and address any lingering questions. Stress the accountability of all parties.

This last step is essential to set yourself up for success the next time you’re delegating a task. 

Improve Communication and Streamline Staff Productivity with Dental Intelligence

Knowing how to delegate tasks effectively doesn’t always come naturally. You may encounter hurdles, such as unproductive staff members or delayed progress. If you aren’t used to delegating, there will likely be an adjustment period for you and your staff. Stay patient, and know that ultimately, this will help your dental practice grow. 

To learn more about how to run your dental practice smoothly, schedule a demo of Dental Intelligence.

You did it. You opened your own dental practice, worked hard, and found the perfect staff and patients. You’ve been extremely successful, and you couldn’t be happier professionally. Now what? 

When a business is going well, the obvious next step is to expand. What isn’t so obvious is how to know it’s the right time or what steps to take. Luckily, Dental Intelligence is here to break dental practice expansion down for you. One way to make sure your expansion is successful is through seamless dental office communication. Dental Intelligence Team Chat is the most efficient dental office communication system available. 

Once you’ve set yourself up for success with the right communication tools, how do you know it’s time to expand?

Evaluate Your Success

The first thing you’ll need to do is check in with your practice’s success. Just as you would do with a patient, evaluate your practice for its health, noting any problems. You can see all the necessary information to evaluate your practice with Dental Intelligence Metrics & Reporting.

Before you decide to expand, you should know what you’re risking. Expanding your practice may be a great opportunity, but it is a risk. You have to guarantee your current location is doing well enough to open another. 

You should ask yourself: 

• How many patients have I had in the last 18 months?
• How much does my practice currently cost to run month to month?
• How much revenue does my practice bring in month to month?
• Is my revenue consistent?

You need an exact number for each of these questions. These answers, along with your return on investment, will help you determine the objective health of your practice.

Analyze Your Patient Base

You can have the best tools and staff in the world, but they’re useless if you have no patients to treat. Knowing who your patient base is, how consistent it is, and how to find more patients is a vital step in dental practice expansion. 

Start by looking at how many patients you’ve had in the last 18 months. Patients should come in for biannual cleanings at the very least. It’s important to keep track of who has come in for their scheduled appointments and who you might’ve overlooked. Sending out reminders and ensuring that patients have a positive experience assist in retaining patients. 

Not only do you need to keep old patients around, but you also need to bring in new patients consistently. This is a careful balance you have to keep — you don’t want to sacrifice one for the other. Don’t prioritize gaining new patients at the expense of the loyal ones, but don’t overlook the importance of new clientele, either.

Knowing your numbers when it comes to patients is essential. This can help you estimate your patient load for your new location and secure your success for your practice as a whole.

Overestimate Costs

You might recall from the first time that opening a dental practice is expensive. Most of the costs you have now will double after opening another location. There are extra costs associated with securing a new building, expanding your inventory, and hiring new staff. When you’re calculating your budget for your new location, it’s better to overestimate costs. 

Permits, leases, marketing materials: everything comes with a fee. Prepare to cover unanticipated costs for the betterment of your practice. Remember that money isn’t the only thing you’ll spend on this practice; you’ll also spend time.

Prepare Yourself for Change

Dentists tend to be detail-oriented, and you’ll want to be involved in every step when you expand your office, from the waiting room to the front desk, to the equipment. If you expect to run two or more locations the same way you ran one, you’ll burn yourself out.

Prepare yourself to change your procedures, your staff, and how you manage your time. This will take a lot of planning and mental preparation ahead of time. There will inevitably be snags in the plan, and you should know how to adjust accordingly.

Reap the Benefits of Practice Expansion with Software Tools for Dentists

There’s no question about it: Dental practice expansion takes time, money, and effort. It’s a major risk — but it can have major rewards, too. Profitable dental services come from practices willing to take those risks and grow. When you have the capacity to serve your existing patients and bring new patients into your practice, you can increase revenue without compromising on service.

Schedule your demo of Dental Intelligence today to start improving communication at your practice.

Everyone wants to believe that their dental practice is running as smoothly as possible. Aside from natural bumps in the road, everything is fine as long as you’re earning more than you spend on staff salaries and equipment, right? 

No matter how meticulous you’ve been about designing your systems, you won’t know how to improve without a dental clinical audit. As time goes on, there is always room for improvement. You might think that things work “just fine.” That’s great if you’re content being a practice that is “just fine.” 

On the other hand, if you’d like to reach your full potential, you’ll look into performing a dental clinical audit. 

What Is a Dental Clinical Audit?

Before jumping in to how to perform a dental clinical audit, let’s cover the basics — what is a dental clinical audit, really?

Dental clinical audits became routine procedures for dental practices in the mid-90s. They are tools to measure the effectiveness of certain procedures in a clinical practice. Dental practices use a set of industry-agreed-upon standards to compare with their own results. The National Clinical Audit Advisory Group set these standards.

Performing audits regularly and thoroughly is important in order to assess the progress of your dental practice. There are three main types of dental clinical audits: patient-focused, staff-focused, and practice-focused. By differentiating these audits, you’re able to focus closely on one aspect of your procedures rather than trying to focus on too much at once and having inconclusive results. 

See examples of types of audits to consider below:

Patient-Focused Dental Clinical Audit

• Audit of patient consent to treatment
• Audit of delivery of oral health promotion advice
• Audit of patient satisfaction

Staff-Focused Dental Clinical Audit

• Audit of hand hygiene 
• Audit of child protection training
• Audit of life support training

Practice-Focused Dental Clinical Audit

• Audit of lab return times
• Audit of decontamination instruments

• Audit of patient waiting times 

What Is the Purpose of a Dental Clinical Audit?

At this point, you might think: that sounds like a lot of time and effort! Running a dental practice is busy, and you might think you don’t have the time for an audit — but you should make time. 

Dental audits ensure the present and future success of your dental practice. In order to plan for the future, you need to know what’s working and what’s not. Dental audits will help you design more streamlined internal communication and seamless patient procedures. Before you can fix the problems in your system, you have to identify them by measuring your current success.

Dental clinical audits work to improve the quality and efficiency of the care in your dental practice. 

4 Steps to Complete a Dental Clinical Audit

To complete a dental clinical audit, you must follow a series of steps. 

1. Plan the audit. This includes choosing the type of audit: patient-focused, staff-focused, or practice-focused; identifying your goals; managing expectations; and fostering an environment of open-mindedness among your staff. You’ll want to define, as a unit, what success looks like to you.

2. Perform the audit. This audit should address patient complaints, risk management, outcomes you’ve been disappointed by in the past, and even legal issues you’ve encountered. During the audit, you’ll take notes, make observations, ask for and analyze patient feedback, and measure for success. 

3. Analyze the data. You’ll want to measure your results against the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s standards, the results of others in your industry, and local expectations. There are a number of methods you can use to analyze the data you collected. The root cause analysis, for example, addresses four important questions: 

• What happened?
• Why did it happen?
• How did it happen?
• How can we develop solutions moving forward?

Similarly, you can use more visual methods of data analysis, such as the fishbone diagram or process mapping.

4. Adapt based on the audit. After the critical analysis stage, make sure you’re taking this information and making changes. This audit cycle is useless if you don’t use it to implement improvements in your system. 

Streamline Your Day-to-day Operations with Dental Intelligence

Dental clinical audits prove their worth in all areas of your practice, from assessing the quality of patient care to improving dental revenue cycle management. Take the first step in making your practice the best it can be and perform a dental clinical audit. 

For more information about audits and software tools to improve communication and streamline operations, schedule your demo with Dental Intelligence.

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